BLOOD LEGACIES
Chapter 519: The Ghoul

Chapter 519: The Ghoul

I didn’t give him an answer.

So I watched him walk away without an attempt to stop him. I wanted to stop him. But my voice hung in my throat and my feet were pinned to the floor. Watching his back disappear as the door closed was a cluttered feeling, I hated myself for not answering and hated myself more because I didn’t have one.

No matter how deeply I thought about it, I can’t conclude. It’s better this way. Even if we got back together we’re only damning ourselves to an endless torture of wanting something we can’t have. He’s right... This is who he is now and I can’t change that.

I want something he doesn’t possess anymore. It hurts knowing what you truly desire is within arms reach but you can’t obtain it.

I mindlessly pressed my thumb against the pendant, going deeper into my thoughts until I let my eyes fixed on what kept me together when I felt like I was losing my sanity. When I first set my eyes on this I couldn’t resist buying it and from that day forward it acted like an anchor to a wrecked ship.

It was a delicate silver piece, catching the light with each movement. It was an outline of a mother cradling her child, the mother’s silver hair flowed down gracefully creating a part of the outline, while the baby nestled securely in her arms, their forms intertwined in a display of tenderness.

To me this necklace was more than a trinket, it was a reminder of a bond, a part of me that I could never truly let go. Each time I pressed my thumb against it there was a comfort it gave, it eased the loneliness, the times when I felt lost. I know I have my mom, Grayson, and everyone else, but there was a space in my heart that couldn’t be filled, that no one could fill. This was the trinket that gave me that completeness.

I heard soft taps and my eyes moved, spotting Wendy walking through the common room in just a shirt and panties. My eyes followed her every movement, as usual, she had her headset on blasting a beat I could still hear, I could only imagine how loud that was.

I was hoping she would walk through like she usually does but she glanced my way and stopped. I sat upright at the action wondering why I was suddenly the center of her attention.

She took her headset off allowing it to rest around her neck. She had her bleached blonde hair forced in a tie, causing her hair to shoot out in all angles like a bed hair.

"Still seeing ghosts?" she bluntly asked.

I gulped. "You should have told me"

"Told you what? That chatter mouth died on her first day of college after attending a party?" she huffed.

"Okay that’s no way to talk about her" I rose to my face, my features morphing into a deep scowl.

"You know nothing of her so why care?"

I know enough, at least what I thought I knew, I can’t exactly be sure not until Hayden gets here. In the meantime I needed to find out more about Tessa from her first roommate.

"What did you know about Tessa?" I asked hopefully for an answer.

Wendy just casually brought the cigar to her lips and took a drag causing the bottom to go angry red. She released a cloud of smoke before saying. "Other than she was a chatter mouth?"

God! This girl was getting under my nerves, the urge to fling her against the wall was too great. With clenched teeth I said "You said she attended a party"

"Don’t we all do?" she shrugged. "Look I don’t know much, all I knew was the night she went to a party she kept asking me what clothes she would wear, to choose between a burgundy strapless gown or a white one. She was nervous about the white one because she might spill her drink on it or get it dirty when making out" she said in detail like the whole scene played out right now.

"What dress did she choose at the end?"

"Burgundy"

A cold chill engulfed me. The same dress she wore to that party was burgundy and it was strapless.

"Where was the party?" I asked with a thunderous heartbeat, and if the situation wasn’t freaking me out the more we spoke at the first time. "Fairmont Hall"

Wendy’s eyes widened at my words and I did at hers too.

"Was there a party there a night ago?"

"Yeah?" she replied, looking at me suspiciously. Hers suddenly moved away from mine.

A knock on the door startled us and we both turned automatically to it. I heard her retreating footsteps. "Wendy!" I called after her but she really had her headset back on again and disappeared towards the corner.

The knock came again and I walked to the door and yanked it open.

"Hayden at your service!" she said with a wide grin before rushing in for a hug.

"Hey"

She broke the hug observing me with her aqua eyes. "Are you okay? When I got your message I was worried"

"I think I can see the dead"

~

"Trust me Emma, the dead? That is not something you want to see" Hayden said, turning herself a drink.

"Okay, how do you explain what I saw?" I had already told her about my experience with Tessa, from the first day of contact to the last day. Saying it out loud made me realize how crazy I sound but I was speaking to someone who converses with Death like a bestie so I’ll save the part for crazy later.

"Ha," she made a sound. "First thing you should know is... the dead have the habit of reliving their last moments before they die. It could be anyone, anyone who doesn’t know of their demise but what is even rare is with someone they had no attachments with, in the land of the living"

"So you’re saying my encounter with Tessa shouldn’t have happened?"

She nodded before sighing. "I think the reason you did is because..." she paused as her eyes darted behind me and I instinctively turned but there was no one there.

Shaken, I turned back to Hayden. "What is it? You’re scaring me"

"You wielded the Death blade, a shard of Death’s essence and now..."

I gulped.

"I see a cloak of Death around you, you’re not a banshee but somehow its clinging to you, I think that is what connected you to Tessa’s ghoul"

"Ghoul" I blinked, taking her drink and chugging it myself. I think I needed it more than her.

"Yeah what I call wandering spirits, been studying a lot"

"I’m sorry"

She chuckled. "Sorry for what?"

"Pulling you out when you’re busy making wedding arrangements"

"No problem girl, besides..." She sat on the stool.

"What? Did something happen?" I asked in a panic. Please don’t tell me that idiot ruined this too.

"No no, God no" She waved me off. "Just..."

"Just what?!"

"Chill Emma, you look like you wanna murder someone"

"Well I might"

She sighed. "I know how much you hate Owen"

"No we’re not talking about that, we’re talking about you"

"I feel guilty"

"Guilty?" I blinked. "What the fuck are you supposed to feel guilty for?"

"His family is like a nemesis to you and I’m about to be part of that family"

"Oh," I made a sound as realization dawned on me, so that’s what she’s worried about.

I take her hand in a tight hold. "Become Hayden Ax or Hayden Sherman, it doesn’t matter. You’re still going to be my friend,"

"Really?" she said with a soft smile on her lips.

"Of course!"

"But do you still hate him?"

I took a deep breath. "It’s all in the past now so..." I shrugged.

"Emma," she said softly. "I know you can never forgive him, but I hope you understand that he regrets it,"

I nodded only. "Let’s not bore into that, I need to know why my roommate’s ghoul decided to haunt my life"

She chuckled. "Trust me, if she were actually haunting you she would have taken your body," she said, pulling out a big book I hadn’t noticed from her bag.

"Okay... wait what do you mean take my body?"

"It’s simple, ghouls remain tethered to this world because of many things, personal attachments or desires" She opened the book flipping through it as I pondered her words.

Suddenly a memory gripped me.

"Emma!"

Tessa?

"Emma!"

"You’re too loud" I mumbled, the biting headache was too much to bear, causing my breathing to be labored with each intake.

"Emma! I remember now!"

"Tessa," I groaned.

"I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought you here, I’m sorry"

"Wha—" I tried to peel my eyes open but couldn’t, everything was too bright and intensified the splitting headache.

"I’m sorry, I’m sorry!"

Why was she apologizing? I needed to open my eyes ASAP, her raspier tone told me something was wrong.

I think that wasn’t a dream, I think Tessa was trying to tell me something.