// Warning! This story contains mentions of blood, murder, violence, vomit, drowning, and a student being in love with their teacher. If you are bothered by any of these topics please do not read this. This is also my original character //

      When Luca awoke it was to the sound of cello music. She stirred and pulled herself out of her bed. She could hear the sound of her sister and mother talking before the music slowly faded away. She made her way to the closet and picked out an outfit to throw on later, it was time for breakfast after all. She lazily made her way downstairs and that's when she noticed something.
      Her mother had showered. She was in a light blue dress and her blonde hair in a tight bun. There were still bags underneath her eyes, of course there was. Ever since Luca’s and Violet's father died she hasn't stopped crying, even when everyone was watching. But, today she looked better.
      She walked into the kitchen and saw Violet with a bowl of Cheerios and pouring milk into it. Luca's face scrunched up when she saw her choice of breakfast.
      “How in the world can you eat that stuff?” She began to get the items necessary to make an omelet, the superior breakfast in her eyes.
      “ Luca, have you seen the stuff that you eat?” Violet's green eyes stared holes into her, but she didn't let that affect her cooking. She just rolled her eyes and went on with it. After a few moments Luca spoke.
      “ I heard that there's a fair tonight and I was wondering if I could go?”
      “What does that have to do with me?,”Violet questioned as she ate a spoonful of bland cereal.
      Luca turned around for a second. “ I can't drive yet, and plus Mom wouldn't allow me to go on my own. She certainly won't leave the house for anything more than the mail, Violet.” She begged her sister with her eyes, she really wanted to go. Everyone else was going so it would only be fair that she went too.
      Violet took in a deep breath after a moment of deciding. “Fine, I'll take you but you have to ask mom. Got it?” She grew a smile as she put her own omelet on a plate before making her mother one. Hopeful she'd eat it this time.
      Luca set her mother's and then her own plate down on the table before calling for her. Her mother made her way back down the stairs, smiling when she saw that her girls decided to eat breakfast with her again. “ Don't worry, I'm coming.” Her melodic voice rang out. Somehow she always sounded like a dream even when she wasn't singing or happy.
      Everyone sat down, their mother at the head. Luca went straight to asking her. “ So… Mom, I heard there was a fair not too far away and I was wondering if I could go?”
      Her mother looked horrified at her request. She was sure that she brought her to tears. “ Honey… I don't think I have it in me to take you.”
      “ Violet said she'll take me. And I promise we'll call you when we get there and when we leave. We won't be out past midnight either!” Luca felt like she was grasping at straws, but she was determined to go.
      “I…uh. Oh alright, you can go. Just stick together. I don't want either of you getting lost. And be careful. You never know who might be at one of those things.” Her mother took a bite of her omelet while Luca was practically jumping up and down.
      The breakfast went as normal with Luca finishing her food almost immediately and their mother barely eating a fourth of what was on her plate. She may have been getting better but she wasn't well yet.
       Soon Luca was rushing up the stairs and into her room to get ready for the day. She knew that they weren't going anywhere until later that night but it was nice to be ready, at least clothes wise. She closed her door and began to get undressed and then dressed. It was a chilly November, her sixteenth birthday having passed two weeks before.
      When she finished she looked at herself in the mirror, having decided to not put on her jacket until they left. She pulled a gray beanie over her black hair. Her hair was short, having cut it off in her bathroom during a panic attack a week after she nearly drowned and her father died. Mr and Mrs Price weren't her biological parents, she was adopted and that was painfully obvious given that her skin color was an umber color while they were as pale as paper.
      Luca plopped down on her bed before grabbing the book from her bedside table. The book was titled “No Longer Human” by Osamu Dazai and she had just started the second chapter. And as she sat there reading she realized it already began to get harder to keep her eyes open no matter how much she wanted to finish the chapter. Soon sleep embraced her.

     She saw her mother's body near her smashed cello. Her lifeless eyes seemed like they were transfixed on her. Luca tried to speak but found no sound came out. Her mother's face – really everything about her– was covered in blood. Her beautiful dress stained and her pale blonde hair laid sprayed out like a halo. She felt the need to scream but all was silent. She needed to find Violet.
      She ran up the stairs and into Violet's room where she saw Mr Quentin,Violet's English teacher, hovering over Violet, clutching a knife. There were hearts painted in blood covering the walls of the room. Violet coughed up blood, spilling down the side of her face as she convulsed. A scream tried to escape Luca but nothing would come out.

    She shut up, her heart pounding in her chest. Sweat ran down her forehead as she tried to breathe. Luca placed her book back on her nightstand as she looked at her alarm clock. It was already eight at night. She slept for nine hours?! She jumped up from her bed before falling over and landing on her knees. Nausea and a headspliting headache ran rampant through her, but she was too stubborn to stay down and not go. She got onto her feet before grabbing her jacket and fixing her beanie.
     Too impatient to knock on Violet's door she opened it without a second thought. That's where she saw her finishing her makeup.
     “ You couldn't wait two seconds?” she asked before putting away lipgloss.

     “ No. Anyway, who are you dressing up for? I thought you didn't date.”
      “ I don't date. What's wrong with dressing up for myself? You don't look so bad yourself— besides your clothes being wrinkled— so who are you dressing up for?”
      “ The Thanksgiving Turkey,” Luca snarked.
      “ Go get in the car. I'll be out in a second.”
       So she did just that and just like Violet said she was out rather quickly. Luca has already turned on the metal channel, which Violet changed almost immediately.
      “ I'm driving so I pick the music.” Luca just slumped down in her seat, both from Violet's remark and Luca's sudden nausea.
      It was a forty minute drive, due to the town being basically surrounded by thick forests, not to mention the fair was in a different county.
      When they got there Violet chose to park in the free parking, which was a good ten minute walk to the park where the fair was hosted. Luca slowly got out, a sense of dread filling her as she thought about her dream.
      “ Violet. Are you dating Mr Quentin?” She didn't know what made her ask, but she did. Somehow, Luca already knew the answer.
      “We'll talk about this later. Let's just enjoy the fair.”

      Luca could still remember what her sister said on their way from the car to the park. “ We'll talk about this later.” Five words that meant they weren't ever going to talk about it. Why would Violet? She was too busy fawning over a twenty seven year old to even year what Luca was saying. Violet was only seventeen, and seven months away from graduating high-school.
      She opened her eyes, quietly wondering why she even went on the ferris wheel with her fear of heights. It was a beautiful view with trees as far as the eye could see. And below her was the fair, where her sister was. They told their mother that they would stay together, but that had never been the plan. The lights seemed like they were shimmering and the sound of people were slightly muffled. It was beautiful, terrifying but beautiful. She slammed her eyes closed when they began moving again and when they made it down she didn't even realize she was holding her breath.
      As soon as she could get out she did, the nausea starting to build up again. She bent over,hands on her knees as she forced herself not to throw up. She needed to go home before she made a fool out of herself more than she already did. As she pulled herself back up she saw something in the corner of her eye, but as she turned her head she saw nothing. Her eyebrows furrowed together before she squinted her eyes to look past the treeline. Still, there was nothing. That didn't stop panic and anxiety from overcoming her. She had to get home.
      Luca jogged over to the meeting spot before taking out her phone and texting her sister. But she didn't hit send because she could hear her sister's voice on the other side of the ring toss game. She slowly made her way over, fully intending to eavesdrop. That's when she heard Mr Quentin.
      “ We'll talk about this at our meeting place tonight, okay? We'll figure something out tomorrow. ” Luca felt her stomach twist but she didn't dare say a word. She was almost sure of what he was going to do.
      Soon Luca made herself known, stepping out into the bright lights. Mr Quentin was already walking off by then. Violet looked as if she wanted to crawl out of her skin when she saw her sister; Luca didn't know whether to take offense or not. She then quickly decided –with the help of her throbbing headache– that it wasn't important at the moment.
      “ Can we go home? I'm not feeling well.” Another wave of nausea washed over her. She was sure she was looking a little pale.
      Violet looked relieved. It was only at that moment did Luca realize that her sister was beginning to form a bruise on her cheek, and who knows where else. For a moment she reached for her, before slowly reeling back her hand. She wasn't sure if Violet wanted to be touched. She already knew who caused the bruises. Lela Baker, Aubree King, and Toni Edwards. She wasn't quite sure what their beef was with her sister—her sister never talked about what had started the bullying— but she did know that there was some.
      “ Okay. That works with me… Did you have fun at least? I know I sure did,” Violet lied.
      “ I had some fun.” This wasn't a lie, surprisingly. A few of the rides and games took her mind off of things, of course in between everything her headache would get worse and so would the nausea .
      Soon, the two girls made it back to the little black car and got in. Awkward air filled the space in between them.
      Violet was the first to speak. “ Can you… not tell Mom about me and Quentin?”  Luca was about to answer her when she was cut off. “ I'll tell her myself later. When she's ready. I don't want her to worry about me, she already has enough on her plate with dad and you.” Her eyes went wide with her own words. Luca just looked at her with a shocked face, betrayal in her eyes.
      “ Dad and Me? Really, Violet? Why did you have to go there!”
      “ I didn't mean it like that! But, you almost drowned and then Dad died saving you. You cut your hair with a shard of mirror. You, you began having nightmares.” Her words did nothing to stop her hurt.  But, Luca didn't plan on telling their mother just yet. She needed to know for a fact that Violet and Mr Quentin were dating. She needed to know what they were going to talk about, even if she had an idea of what it could be.
      The drive back home was quiet, the only noise being the static of the radio and beaches scratching the windows. Luca wasn't used to the silence. How could she be? She could remember the long car rides with the music low and conversation filled the car, her father's Scottish accent mumbling on with a tune. Those days must have died with him.
      Violet parked the car in the driveway, her pleading eyes turning to her sister. “ Please, Luca. You have to promise me that you won't tell. I'll do anything, okay. I should be the one to tell her.”
      “ I didn't plan on telling her anyway. I promise.” Her face softened as she got out of the car. Luca assumed relief washed over Violet, but she could not find any relief in herself.
      She got out of the car and made her way into the house. Their mother was waiting in the living room watching TV.
      “ Oh. What are you doing home, girls?” Their mother sleepily looked at them, her blonde hair down from its bun.
      Luca answered, “I wasn't feeling well.”
      “ Do you feel alright now? Why weren't you feeling well? Are you bleeding?” She got up from the couch and rushed over to her daughter, feeling her forehead. Luca quickly backed away from her mother.
      “ Mama, I'm fine. I just have a headache and my stomach hurts a little. I'll just take some ibuprofen and go to bed.” Her mother reached out once more, her thin fingers brushing against her darker skin before cupping her cheeks.
      Her watery voice spoke, “ Oh. Okay. Come tomorrow and I'll check your temperature. You don't seem to have a fever right now.” She gave Luca a soft smile, before folding her arms. She turned to face her other daughter. “ Do you want to watch a movie with me? We haven't had Mother-daughter movie nights in a while.”
      It stung a little not to be invited but Luca wasn't feeling well anyway. She hadn't ever been a part of Mother-daughter movie nights, but when her father was alive she had Father-daughter trips. They would go on little trips around town. Just the two of them. Sometimes they would even get their hair done. He was a good man, at least in Luca's eyes.
      She took off her shoes, grabbed pajamas, and got ready for bed. She had just gotten into the bathroom, not even shut the door yet. That's when she saw it again. A figure in the corner of her eye. Slowly, she turned her head only to be met with a monster that didn't fit the hallway. It's body hunched over, back to the ceiling and head drooping like its body couldn't support its weight. Noise filled her head as she looked at the pale creature, and whenever she tried to look at its face it would blur over. Snow or possibly static filled her vision and the sound of thousands of people screaming began to take over the sound of interference. Luca’s heart beat began to speed up, her mind racing. She took a step back. Tripping over her own feet she stumbled backwards, grabbing the curtain to try and stabilize herself. The only thing it achieved was ripping it down.
     The monster ducked its head even further, its arms on the doorframe as it began climbing into the room. She shut her eyes tight, still gripping the curtain. Luca tried to scream, to make any noise at all but nothing would come out. Not even the most pathetic squeal.
      Soon the ringing stopped and she slowly opened her eyes. There was no trace of the monster, no claw marks, no sound. Nothing. She looked around, her eyebrows furrowed. It had to be real. It felt too real for it to be fake.
      Violet was in the doorway. “ What happened? I heard a crash!” Her eyes traveled to the curtain.
      “ I…um… fell.” It was only half of a lie.
      She extended her hand to Luca, who quickly grabbed it. “ I'll fix the curtain, you can go change in your room and brush your teeth later. You need to go to bed.” Luca sighed and made her way back to her room.

      She had a dreamless sleep. A dark dream filled with nothing. Still, when she woke up shivers ran down her spine and her eyes darted around the room, scared of every shadow.  The one farthest away from her bent and contorted into the hunched over figure. She knew it was real. The hair on the back of her neck raised, everything in her being watched from the darkness of her room. The sun still hadn't risen. Luca wished it had or that her light switch was closer. Irrationally she thought a hand would grab her ankles from under the bed if she ran and then drag underneath. So she curled up with her blanket and held her breath.

      Dawn approached and she made her way out of her head, running to the door, throwing it open and making her way down stairs. She wasn't afraid of the dark anymore, but sometimes her mind would play tricks on her when she looked into the shadows.
      Luca went to the kitchen, looking at the oven’s clock. It was only seven o'clock, mentally she cursed herself for not sleeping in later. She then grabbed a tin of  uncooked biscuits, preheating the oven and putting the biscuits on a pan.
     She used to wake up early in the morning to make her mom and Papa food. She would set the table and grab her father a beer for the morning. He didn't drink a lot in the morning, just one or two. He worked at home mostly, spending most of his time writing. He said it helped him think. Luca began to think that it didn't, but it wasn't good to think ill of the dead.
      A pit of fear began to bubble up in her. Somehow the idea of her father made her … nervous. But, she loved him. She missed him more than anything; she almost couldn't stand the thought of him coming back.
      She placed the pan into the oven, trying to calm her thoughts. She rather not think about the failing of her parents and her family as a whole, because that meant she would have to realize that the very structure she built her life around was false. A sham. And, if that were true that would mean facing the truth. She could not face the truth.
      Footsteps interrupted her thoughts. She snapped her head around to face Violet coming down the stairs, bag in hand. Luca's mind raced to the thought that her sister was running away. Then she thought about Mr Quentins's words. ‘ We'll talk about this tomorrow.’  She noticed how Violet paid no mind to herself, it was hard to see into the kicking from the stairs. Luca ducked, trying not to be seen by her.
      Violet didn't notice, she just made her way out of the back door. Luca jumped back up and put on her shoes. She waited for a few moments before going outside, Violet too far away to hear her. She kept the distance between the two of them as she followed the other. They went into the woods behind the house which was connected to several hiking trails.
      Luca followed her sister onto a secluded path, some branches and leaves scattered about. The autumn air filled her lungs and caused her to shiver. She wished she brought a jacket or at least wasn't still in her pajamas. The leaves crutched under her feet, still Violet couldn't hear her.
      That's when she saw Mr Quentin in the distance. He was a tall man, with ivory skin, and short black hair. His eyes were a grass color and he had a square jaw. Not in a model way, but more of an awkward teen way. He smelt of strong cologne and always in dark colors. Luca thought he looked like a wannabe vampire or possibly still in his emo phase just now with teacher appropriate fashion. Of course Violet would fall in love with a man like that.
      Violet was a skinny athletic girl with strawberry blonde hair, chocolate brown eyes, and a couple of piercings. The only times she took out her piercings was when she was playing soccer or in dance class. She was open and bubbly, and Luca loved that about her. She looked more like her mother, except for her freckles. It was a part of the few things she had gotten from their father.
     Violet ran and hugged Mr Quentin, he hugged back before kissing her temple. A pit filled with disgust, anger, and worry filled Luca. She began to see red at his actions. He began speaking to Violet, Luca too far to hear his words. That didn't matter. It never mattered. Somehow she knew her dream would come true, that he would kill her family. Even if he wasn't, Violet was ten years younger than him.
      Her feet moved under her without her thinking. It started as a walk and then into a run. She tackled him with all her strength, and Violet fell. Luca's fist collided with the man's face. Again and again she hit him, scratching at his face before getting up and kicking him. She didn't even hear Violet's cries for her to stop. Ringing filled her ears as something in her told her to keep hitting. Mr Quentin managed to pull her down, hitting her twice as much and twice as hard as Luca did. Violet then began trying to pull him away from her sister. Luca just laid there, taking the searing hits. Her eyes slowly closed. She would die happy knowing that if he killed her then the police would surely arrest him and violet would be safe.
      But, death never came. What came instead was Violet kicking Mr Quentin off of Luca's battered body. She picked up her sister, the both of them running as he staggered towards the girls, somehow Luca's legs allowed her to keep pace with her soccer campaign of a sister. Somehow they made it to the neighborhood, a house in sight. A woman smoking a cigarette on her back porch looked up, and for a moment Luca could see her horrified face as the woman stood up.
      “Girls, are y'all alright?” The woman called out as the sisters made their way into her yard.
      “ Can you call 911?! My sister's hurt, and my boyfriend is chasing us.” Violet began to tear up, her voice cracking. Luca was too busy bleeding and being mildly concussed to pay attention. The pain came in waves, her wounds throbbing and her head pounding. Her eyes slowly closed and her balance faltered. Soon the ground came up to meet her face.

      When Luca awoke she was in a hospital room. The room was a pristine white, and there was an IV in her arm. Everything hurt, not like it did when she was running. She must've been on pain medicine, but it was clearly not strong enough.
      She remembered the last time she was in a hospital. She had drowned that day, losing her life for two minutes. They were going swimming at a lake when she jumped from the rocks—something she had done many times before—, how could she have known that she was going to hit her head on a rock. Her father, who was drunk, rushed in to save her, losing his life in the process. Her mother didn't tell her that he was dead until she started asking questions. She remembered going home and having a panic attack. In a moment of despair and recklessness she threw the closest thing at the mirror; she couldn't stand to look at her own face. That's when she picked up a shard of the mirror and cut off all of her hair. She cut off every memory of him, and gave herself some control.
      She messed with the thin blanket, that's when the hair on the back of her head stood up. Then came the creeping sense of panic and fear. There was something in the corner of her eye once more, she slowly turned her head to meet it. This time it was a woman. She had dark hair, olive skin, and when Luca looked at the woman’s face she noticed how wrong it was. Her jaw was barely hanging on to her face, one eye was missing from its socket, and it was covered in bright red blood. Whenever blood would drip from the creature's face it would disappear before it could hit the floor. The woman made a noise, similar to a deer or like she was struggling to speak.
      Luca closed her eyes, pulled her legs to her chest and covered her ears as finally a scream came from her mouth. A ear piercing scream, that hurt her throat and felt unreal. That's when she felt hands on her shoulders, and someone ripping away her tears.
      “ Luca, baby, what's wrong?” Luca opened her eyes to see her mother as the screams died down. She couldn't speak, her mother wouldn't believe her. Tears ran down her eyes, her mother took a sharp breath. “ You don't have to tell me.” She gave her the look. The look that said ‘ Do you not trust me enough? I raised you’
      Luca wipes her tears with her sleeve, trying to make up a lie. “ I had a bad dream.” Everything felt like a bad dream anyway, with the monsters and Mr Quentin. “ Where is Violet?!” Luca was on the verge of yelling.
      “ She's in the cafeteria. But, that's not important right now. We need to talk.” Those four words were never good. Her stomach began to knot. “ You attacked Mr Quentin. Do you know how wrong that is?”
      “ Mama, he was dating Violet. That's not right! He's ten years older than she is.”
      “ Violet went on a hike and Mr Quentin happened to be there. You misunderstood. You're lucky that he's not pressing charges.” Her mother looked angry. Why did she look angry? Luca couldn't understand why her mother was angry, she was trying to help Violet.
      “ He didn't press charges because he knew the police would find something tying him to Violet!” Violet argued.
      Her mother pinched her nose bridge and sighed. “ Luca enough. Violet already explained what happened. What you did was noble, but please don't argue with me on this… How about you focus on healing?”

       Luca would be in the hospital for two days before being released. Violet wouldn't visit her. She didn't even text or call, nothing.
      She hopped into the passenger seat, Violet in the back with her arms crossed. Their mother somehow managed to look worse than she did when her husband died. Everything felt like it was falling apart. Somehow the ride home was worse than when they were driving home from the funeral.
      The car radio played softly as Violet played games on her phone. Luca just stared at the window, trying not to think about what happened. Trying not to pay attention to Violet in the back seat.
      “ Are you girls excited to go back to school?” Their mother smiled towards them. Violet crossed her arms and didn't answer.
      “ I'm…not sure. Do we have to? I mean you've homeschooled me before.” She shifted her seat. Luca and Violet were homeschooled when they had gotten bullied in the eighth grade. Violet managed to open up instead of hiding like Luca did.
      “ If that's what you want. I'll see what I can do, but I can't promise that it'll happen. Violet, what do you want to do?” Their mother looked into the rearview mirror to her.
      She answered, “ I don't really care, okay?”
      The rest of the car ride was quiet and slow. When they finally made it, Luca’s mother rushed to her side and opened the door. She helped her daughter back into the house before rushing back out for Violet, trying not to leave her behind.
      Luca made her way back to her room, opening the door, trying to ignore the dead people in her room. Trying to ignore the beautiful woman with a stretched out neck and blood red eyes. Trying to ignore the man that looked too much like her dead father in swimming trunks, soaking wet in the corner of her right eye. She had been seeing and hearing the two of them for the past two days now. Always following her, even when she went to the bathroom or slept. At first she was terrified, but she had simply accepted that they were never going to leave her alone.
      She plopped on her bed, her face in her pillow. The Victorian woman, proven by the smell of pine and roses, sat on the bed next to Luca. She held her breath as the woman drew circles on her back. She leaned to her ear, moving a strand of hair.
      No sound came from the woman, but somehow Luca could feel her breath against her ear as if she was speaking. Soon the woman made her way off the bed, the man and the woman leaving the room. Still, Luca did not move. This was the first time they had touched her, the first time they had really interacted with her.
      She grabbed her phone from her nightstand, hoping it was still charged even if it had been left alone for two days. It wasn't. Luca set her phone down, her hands in her face as she began to cry. Hot tears burned her dark eyes and she just cried harder. She rolled over onto her side,she put her knees to her chest once more and let her emotions pour out of her. She felt as if she was going insane, that she didn't know what was real. She didn't know if she was going crazy. Because it felt like she was. People weren't supposed to have nightmares about their family dying or hallucinate dead people.
     She was hit with another wave of nausea out of spite by God or the universe. Luca rushed to her bathroom, only a few feet from her door. She began to gag as she finally reached the toilet.
       Violet, hearing the commotion, walked into the bathroom to check on Luca. “ Are you good? Caus—”
      Luca cut her off, “ No of course I'm not alright—,” there was another gag and a sob, “— I'm seeing dead people, not to mention sick.” She finally threw up, making her feel a little better. She grabbed some toilet paper and wiped away the vomit from her mouth. That's when she saw that it was black. Her eyebrows furrowed together, before tossing the toilet paper in the toilet and flushing it. She turned to her sister. “ Go get Mama.” Her head began to spin, and for a moment she could've swore she saw another dead person in the mirror behind Violet.
     That's what Violet did. Luca could hear her sister running down the stairs to wake their mother up from her nap on the couch. Only a few moments later did their mother come into the bathroom, her blonde hair frizzy and her blue shirt wrinkled. She lazily smiled at her mother, her left hand barely supporting her weight as she tried to stay up.
      Her mother reached out, placing her hand on top of her head. “ Don't move, okay. We'll fix you. Just tell me what's wrong.” The woman got on her knees and hugged her daughter. Somehow Luca knew that her mother didn't want to lose her like she lost her husband. And somehow she knew that she had to tell her mother.
      “ I'm seeing things, Mama. I don't feel well, my head is spinning and-and I'm nauseous. I'm having bad dreams again and everything is falling apart. Mama, I don't know what to do!” Luca broke down in her mother's arms while her mother slowly stroked her hair.
      “ You're going to be okay, I'll make sure of it. You're going to have the best doctors and we'll get you help. Can you tell me what you're seeing?” She motioned for Violet to go get her phone. Violet just nodded and ran.
      “ I'm seeing dead people.” That was the last thing she mumbled before closing her eyes and setting herself slip into unconsciousness.

      When she woke up again she was in a hospital once more, laying on her side. She stirred a bit when she noticed the man in the corner of her room.
      “ What are you doing here?! Get out! Get out!” Luca looked for the closest thing she could throw at him or possibly a way to call the nurse into the room. Anger and hatred boiled inside of her at the mere presence of him.
       “ What? I can't come to check on my girlfriend's sister? I came bearing gifts,” Mr Quentin said with a cocktail smile and reached into the red gift bag. For a moment Luca thought he would pull out a gun, but instead he set a book next to her. Curiously she picked up the book. “ It's The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. I thought you might like it because of your…similar circumstances to the main character. It's always been my favorite book, it's about the fragility of a woman's mind.”
      Luca knew better. She knew that the book was not about that, and his words only proved how ignorant he truly was. “ Get out…” ,she mumbled.
      “ What was that? I couldn't hear you because you were mumbling. You really should speak louder.”
      She grabbed the book, and began to speak, getting louder and louder. “... Get out… Get out! GET OUT!” She screamed, raising the book above her head and sent it flying towards him. It hit him smack in the chest, nearly knocking him down. Looking up at her and scowled, kicking the book to the corner of the room.
      “ You should be grateful!” He yelled back as a nurse entered the room and ushered him out. Luca closed her eyes and took a deep breath, God she hated that man. She moved herself to the edge of her bed, grabbing the IV Pole before making her way to pick up the book. She might as well reread it, it's not like she had a lot to do in the hospital. She could hate Mr Quentin, but she couldn't hate the book.
      As she sat back down on her bed she noticed something in the reflection of the pole. She went to the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. She still had her dark brown, almost black eyes, but there were a few white lashes mixed in with the black. Luca still had her round face, and hooded eyes. She still had short mostly black hair, but now there were a few white strands. She was far too young to be going gray. She just sighed, that was another problem for another day. She just laid back on her bed and let herself fall asleep.

      Luca awoke with a gentle shake from a nurse with fiery red hair. She looked towards her window and saw that it was still dark outside; she sat up. The nurse had a grim look on her face.
      “ What happened?” Luca rubbed the sleep from her eyes before the nurse ushered two police officers into the room. One of them was wearing a nice suit while the other was in uniform. The man in the suit spoke first.
      “ Ms. Price, I'm Leutiniut Zabanna and this is Officer Clark. We regret to inform you that your adoptive mother, Nicole Price and your adoptive sister, Violet Price, have been found dead.”
      Tears formed once more, but she dared to not let them fall. “ They were murdered weren't they? By Mr Quentin.”
      “ How did you know they were murdered?” The Lieutenant asked.
     She deflected, “ Would you be here if they weren't murdered or missing?” It was a real question. Her mind wandered back to her dream. If it was real what else was? Was she really hallucinating dead people or was she just seeing their ghosts like some sort of medium or banshee?
      He nodded, “ You're not wrong. But, let's go back to the part where you said that you think Mr Quentin killed your family. What would his motives be? I've known Alexander Quentin for most of his li-”
       “ I know that he did it! He was taking advantage of my sister! She is… was seventeen and dating a twenty seven year old man! If that doesn't scream bad guy to you then something is wrong with you! Just because you happen to know him when he's outside his home, doesn't mean you know him when he's inside.” Her voice cracked, and tears finally fell. She wanted someone to believe her, anyone! She needed someone in her corner because right now she had nobody.
      The men looked taken aback at her words and the officer grumbled something. “ Can you tell me more?” The Lieutenant asked. Finally, someone was willing to ask questions rather than just assuming stuff.
      “ I don't know a lot about their relationship but I guess he would be mad after I attacked him.”
      “ Why did you attack him?”
      “ I found out about their relationship and I saw him kiss my sister. I just got so mad.” She began to mess with the hem of her sweater that she had been wearing when she was brought to the hospital.
      “ Can y-” The ringing came back and so did the nausea. She couldn't hear his voice. The nurse must've told the police to leave because they both left and she was trying to talk to Luca. Soon the ringing subsided and she looked at the fiery haired woman.
      “—you okay?” She asked once more, Luca nodded just for her to go away.
       The Victorian woman with the stretched out neck leaned down to Luca’s ear once more. “ Can you hear me, Banshee?” she whispered with an angelic voice that sounded a little strained. Luca turned to face the woman. “ I'm going to take that as a yes… I can help you get out of this place, help slow your sickness, and explain everything if you let me. All I will ask of you is that you listen.”
      Luca crossed her arms and raised a brow. “ How do I know I'm not hallucinating? And if I'm not, then how can I trust you?”
      “ You'll just have to take my word for it, little Geier.” She gently booped her on the nose. Luca sighed and looked out the window once more, she had to leave. God knows what would happen to her if she ended up with her aunt. That woman gave Luca the creeps and even if this woman was just a hallucination at least she had someone with her that wouldn't try to sell her organs or something.
      “ Ask to go to the cafeteria, saying you need to walk. Grab a mask, put it on before ripping off your bracelet. I want you to take the elevator to the first floor before making your way to the parking lot. In spot A4 there's a car you can hot wire. Wait, you can drive without getting yourself killed right?”
      “ I barely got my learner's permit. Wait, how do you know how to hotwire a car?”
      “ Okay, new plan. Also, I've been around for over two hundred years, it's a sort of thing I picked up. There should be a bus stop outside the hospital. You're going to need fair, I would suggest commandeer some coin. Or simply run as fast as you can.” The beautiful woman shrugged as Luca walked out of her room before grabbing the attention of a nurse.
      “ May I go to the cafeteria? I would like to walk around and possibly get something to eat.” The nurse just nodded, clearly not really caring. Luca made her way down the hall, swiped a mask from a box before going into an elevator. Before putting on the mask she chewed on her bracelet, putting it in her pocket. The doors opened and a man got into the elevator, smiling when the first floor was already pressed.
     Soon the doors opened and they both walked out. She tried staying as calm as she possibly could as she made her way out of the hospital and into the parking lot.

~ A year later

      Luca hopped out of the semi truck, thanking the woman who picked her up. “ You sure you want to get off here?”
      “ Yeah, I'm sure. My place is in the woods.”
      “ Why were you all the way in Blacksburg?”
      “ I was visiting family, but my car broke down and I didn't have the money for a plane ticket.” She lied through her teeth. And the truck driver just shrugged, it really wasn't any of her busy in the first place.
      Cordelia Schwarz, the Victorian woman with the stretched neck, walked with Luca into the forest. Gently guiding her to the old log cabin they called home. Over the many months that the two had spent together Luca learned a lot. About herself, Cordelia, and the world. Luca was a banshee, one of the many creatures of the world and Cordelia, while also being a ghost, used to be a witch. What a strange world this was.
      “ Do you have a new victim in mind?” The older woman asked.
      “ No, not yet. But I'm sure he'll deserve it.”
      “ They always do…”