Chapter Text
…
Three.
POP!
Sansa woke with a sharp gasp. She flew into a sitting position from a deep sleep and for one heart-racing moment, she had no idea what had happened. Lady had been sleeping, stretched across the foot of her bed, but she was awake now, too. She was standing on all fours, on the mattress, and was barking. For a second, Sansa thought that she had been the one to wake the dog, but then, she realized that Lady was barking at something else. The dog had placed herself between Sansa’s sleeping form and that something. Something at the foot of the bed.
“I’m sorry!” The young woman rushed out. “I’ve never done this before, and I didn’t know I would just pop in like that!”
Sansa shook her head while working on steadying her breathing. Her heart was still racing though. The spirit had scared her, just appearing like that. It was a new spirit. Those who had been for a long time knew better than to just pop in on her like that. Most respected Sansa’s time. They used to pop in while she was in the bathroom or kissing (or being intimate with) a boyfriend in bed, scaring her to death – and ruining every relationship she had ever tried to have. But Sansa was quick to put her foot down. They couldn’t just pop into her house whenever they were pleased to do so. They had to respect rules or else, Sansa wouldn’t talk to any of them and help their family reach them again.
“It’s alright,” Sansa finally was able to speak. She pushed the covers away from her so she could pull herself around to her knees. She wrapped her arms around Lady’s neck. She felt how tense the dog’s body was, ready to attack at any second whether it was actually something she could attack or not. “It’s alright, Lady. Everything’s alright now. We’re both alright.”
It took a few minutes for Lady to actually go from barking to snarling to being quiet again. Sansa also took those minutes to return her heart to normal.
“I’m sorry,” the young woman said again. “Others told me not to and that you would see me soon enough, but I couldn’t wait.”
Sansa shook her head again. She pulled herself from the bed. Lady jumped down, as well, and Sansa immediately began making it. “What do you need?”
“I dropped my phone and my mom needs it. She will also need the passcode so she can get into it and read my texts. She needs to read my texts so she can show the police. She thinks I ran away. I didn’t run away.”
That made Sansa pause. She looked at the spirit again. At first look, Sansa had thought that perhaps she had been in her mid-twenties when she had passed over. But now, she could see with her fully awake eyes that the girl was actually more like sixteen or seventeen. Sansa didn’t recognize her. Whoever she was and whatever had happened to her, it hadn’t been in the papers. Then again, Sansa saw plenty of spirits from the other side who had left the world and very few people noticed or cared.
“Will I have to travel far?” She asked.
If she did, she would ask Arya and their older brother, Robb, to come with her. She tried not to travel to surviving family if she could help it. Grandma Minisa and Catelyn had both done the same thing. They wouldn’t be believed, police would be called, and it would be a big mess. Most didn’t want to hear “I have a message from your deceased loved one” from a complete stranger. Sansa preferred the good old-fashioned mail. If she found the phone, she would mail it anonymously along with its code to the girl’s mother. What the mother did after that would be her decision entirely and nothing could be traced back to Sansa.
“The bathroom building at the entrance of the Lonely Hills yellow hiking trail. I… I was talking to him online. We agreed to meet in person and to go for a hike. His picture online was different…” The girl trailed off and Sansa didn’t need to hear anymore.
“We have to wait at least an hour. You’re weaker than you realize. You used most of your energy getting in here,” Sansa let her know. She left the girl in her room, who was trying to test Sansa’s words by popping out of the room again, but she couldn’t. Lady followed Sansa down the stairs and straight to the backdoor in the kitchen. “I’m sorry about all of that,” Sansa said out loud to her loyal dog. Lady simply licked Sansa on the hand to let her know that it was alright before trotting out into the backyard to take care of herself.
Sansa began preparing her morning pot of coffee and as it brewed, she went to the refrigerator for the carton of eggs. She would have to eat a big breakfast this morning and build her “strength tank” back to full. She had just woken up, but already, her body had the dull ache of exhaustion. Today, she would be absolutely drained by the end of it. The Lonely Hills were just a couple of hours’ drive from Winterfell, and it was Saturday. It was a popular spot for those in the North to go biking and hiking. There would be people around and they would wonder what Sansa was doing, crawling around on her hands and knees, searching for a phone that might not be there.
But still, she would go. It was part of her gift – the responsibility of it. Grandma Minisa and Catelyn both taught her at a young age. This gift could be seen as a blessing or a curse depending on how a person used it and the Whent women always viewed it as a blessing. They had been given this gift to help people and if they didn’t help people, it was a sin to waste what they had been given. They were special. Not everyone had the abilities they had and there was a reason they could do what they did.
She kept her coffee black this morning and she scrambled her eggs. She also toasted two slices of bread, smeared it with peanut butter and cut up banana slices on top. A very filling, good breakfast. She let Lady in again and sat down at the kitchen table. Lady drank some water and then came to curl up on Sansa’s feet underneath the table. Her laptop was near and Sansa dragged it to her, opening and waking it up. She began to look for the quickest route to the Lonely Hills yellow hiking trail. She didn’t look up when she heard the front door unlock and push open. A few seconds later, Arya came into the kitchen, her face pink from the cold outside.
“My God, it’s as cold in here as it is out there!” She exclaimed, but began taking off her outerwear layers, nonetheless. Lady pulled herself out from under the table to greet her.
Sansa was in the middle of taking a sip of coffee and she nodded. “There’s one upstairs right now,” she told her sister. “Do you have any plans today?”
Arya went to get her own mug from the cabinet and poured some coffee. She actually lived right across the street from Sansa, but she didn’t usually come here this early in the morning. She must not have any of her own coffee in her kitchen.
“Where are you going?” Arya asked as she sat down at the table. She hugged the mug with both hands, keeping it close to her body, willing the heat and steam to warm her up faster.
“Lonely Hills. There’s a cell phone somewhere out there I need to find.” Sansa set her coffee aside so she could finish the rest of her scrambled eggs before they got too cold. She could feel the strength of the girl upstairs slowly returning. Sansa needed to keep her own strength.
Arya nodded. “I can come. Robb, too?”
“I don’t know.” Sansa paused for another sip of coffee. Although Robb and Arya couldn’t help her when it came to things from the other side, she admitted that she felt better when she had her brother and sister with her on “errands” like this. Safer. Braver.
“I’ll call Robb,” Arya took it upon herself to make the final decision.
“Thanks, Arya,” Sansa gave her sister a smile.
Sansa often wondered what their family would be like if they were “normal”. Sansa’s house would be at a normal temperature and maybe she and Lady would still be upstairs, sleeping peacefully and undisturbed. Arya would still come over because she forgot to buy coffee last time she was at the store, but the two sisters would talk about “normal” stuff. Work and relationships and life. But the problem with trying to imagine things like that was Sansa couldn’t even really remember was normal was. This was all this family had known for so long and this could be considered normal for them.
(Still, it was something Sansa thought of from time to time.)
Arya smiled, too, but then a violet shiver tore through her body, and her smile was replaced with a frown. Sansa could still feel the spirit upstairs and whenever one was around, or when Sansa tried to communicate with one, the temperature always dropped.
“They’re not coming with us, are they?” Arya asked. “Because if they are, I’m going to go home and put on some long underwear.”
…
The young woman recited her mom’s name and address to Sansa and in turn, Sansa whispered it to Robb Stark. They stood in the post office together and he wrote it carefully down on the envelope. It was probably her being overly careful, but if Sansa could get someone else to address the envelope, she did. She was always so worried that something could be tracked back to her. Her business was a sensitive one and surviving family or friends, after having lost someone, could be just as angry and hostile as someone from the other side. The last thing Sansa ever wanted to do was push boundaries or step on someone’s toes. It was all so delicate.
“Got it,” Robb finished and stood up straight from having leaned over the counter. “Good?” He held the envelope up for Sansa – and whoever might be standing next to his sister – to see the label.
“Good,” Sansa confirmed. “Thank you, Robb,” she smiled at her brother.
“You got it.” The cell phone as well as the piece of paper with the phone’s code had already been slipped inside and now, Robb sealed the envelope up tight.
“Thank you,” the young woman said as graciously as she could before she faded. And then, she was completely gone. Sansa had a feeling she was going to go back to her mother’s side.
It took another second for the air to return to normal. “Finally!” Arya exclaimed and tugged her mittens off her hands, shoving them in her coat pockets.
Sansa took the envelope and went to the window so it could be weighed by a postal worker and get the proper amount of postage. Sansa would also pay extra so it could be delivered quickly. The phone hadn’t been that hard to find between the three of them. Lonely Hills had gotten some snow in the time the young woman dropped it, but they hadn’t had to dig that deep. They had found it at the base of a tree right outside the bathroom building just as had been promised.
The trio left the post office a few minutes later. The air was biting, but the sun was shining so it seemed to help things from being too frigid.
“Okay,” Sansa smiled at her brother and sister. “You pick.”
It was their tradition. Whenever Sansa had to run one of these particular errands, Robb drove, Arya helped in the “quest” and when they were all done, Sansa treated them to a meal – wherever Robb and Arya could agree. And actually, sometimes, getting them to agree on the same restaurant was a more trying experience than running errands for a spirit.
“Breakfast!” Arya immediately answered. It was early afternoon, but doing things like this always was a good reason to get a massive stack of pancakes.
“Not this time. You chose breakfast last time. I have a taste for Mexican,” Robb said. “And don’t try to tell me to get a breakfast burrito. I don’t want that either.”
Arya’s response to that was a frown and punch in Robb’s arm. The two immediately began bickering, right there on the sidewalk, in front of the post office. Sansa didn’t interfere. This was just what the pair did. This was also normal for their family. Feeling her cell phone vibrate in her bag slung across her chest, Sansa dug it out and smiled as soon as she saw her mom’s name and picture on the lock screen.
“Hi, mom,” Sansa answered, stepping away so she could hear over her fighting siblings. Their voices were starting to get louder.
“Hi, sweetheart. Everything good?” Catelyn Stark asked, smiling when she heard her daughter smile. She had woken up that morning with one of her feelings and knew that something was happening with Sansa. It didn’t always happen. Like with her own mother, Catelyn’s abilities were fading with each passing month. But sometimes, something still had a particular burst of strength and it alerted Catelyn. When she called and Sansa told her what she, Arya, and Robb were doing that day, Catelyn felt relief that she had been able to feel that.
“Yes, it’s safe and in the mail. I paid for express so hopefully, something good for the family will be happening by the end of next week,” Sansa said. “And now Robb and Arya are fighting about food.”
“And how are you feeling?” Catelyn pressed. People would never think of how much energy doing something like this would cost a person.
“Tired,” Sansa said truthfully. She turned back to her bickering siblings. “And hungry!” She shouted that last part towards them. Arya lunged to Robb, who dodged away just in time. He spun and before Arya could fight back, he had an arm around her neck in a headlock.
“You don’t have any sessions planned tonight, do you?” Catelyn then asked. Catelyn and her own mother, Minisa, told Sansa time and time again that she needed to take care of herself. She shouldn’t push herself. They understood why she pushed herself to the brink. They, themselves, had done the same thing. Get as much done while they still could before it disappeared.
“Not tonight,” Sansa said. (It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t exactly the truth either. Thankfully, her mother wasn’t able to pick up on that over the phone.)
“Good.” Catelyn let out a relieved sigh. “Text or call me when you all three get back home and tell those two idiots that if they get arrested in Lonely Hills, your father and I are not getting them or providing bail money of any amount.”
The call ended shortly after, and Sansa turned back to her brother and sister. “I’m going to go get a cheeseburger!” She shouted over to them and then, without waiting to see what they would do, she began walking back to Robb’s car in the parking lot of the post office. Seconds later, she heard running steps and Robb stopped on one side of her and Arya on the other, both falling into step with her.
“I can go for a burger,” Robb agreed as he pulled out his car keys.
“I can get a fried egg on mine,” Arya nodded. Not exactly the breakfast food she had in mind, but she could make it work. “I’ll find a place between here and Winterfell,” she offered as she pulled out her phone to being research.
In the car, Robb started the engine and turned on the heater. He kept it parked for a moment, giving the engine time to warm up again. He looked at Sansa sitting next to him in the front passenger seat. “You okay?” He checked.
Unlike Arya, Robb had never felt jealous of what his sister, mom, and grandma could do. He was thankful it only touched the oldest daughter with Whent blood. It was constant. They were never able to take a day off. Even if they didn’t have sessions planned, they couldn’t just turn their minds off. They were tapped into something no one else could ever understand. It was mentally, emotionally and physically draining. And honestly, sometimes, it was downright scary. Robb had been present more than once when something from the other side came through and was angry. Why would he ever want to have that in his life? He was always willing to help Sansa whenever she needed it – doing things like this – but never once did he ever wish that he could do any of this himself. He thought Arya wishing she could was nothing more than naïve ignorance. They all grew up with the same grandma and mom. Arya knew just as well as he did what this did to them and what it was now doing to their sister. Who the Hell would want that for themselves?
At his question, Sansa nodded and gave a smile. “I’m okay.” But as soon as she spoke those words, a large yawn followed.
Robb wasn’t surprised that Sansa rested her head against the window and was sound asleep before he could even drive them out of the Lonely Hills and get back home.
…
Sansa admitted that she was thinking of Jon Snow.
He told her that he would contact her again for his next appointment, but Sansa doubted that he would ever make another appointment with her. Most people, when she broke the news that whoever they wanted her to contact didn’t want to talk with them, their reactions always ranged from sadness and pleading for her to try again to outright yelling and fury. But Jon hadn’t had any kind of reaction like that. He simply stood up and put on his coat. The lack of reaction of any kind from the man had stayed with Sansa.
It had rattled her.
After Robb dropped her off at home after their errand to Lonely Hills, Sansa hooked the leash onto Lady and took the dog on a long walk around their quiet neighborhood. Returning home, she gave Lady a fresh rawhide bone. The dog happily took it and trotted off to her large pillow on the living room floor. Sansa went upstairs to take a steaming hot shower. She then changed into sweatpants and a long sleeve tee shirt and let her hair air-dry. Downstairs again, in the kitchen, she fixed herself a cup of strawberry tea and sipping it, she went into the living room. She set the cup down on her table in front of the fireplace and then went to Lady. She knelt down and her dog lifted her head from her bone, smiling and panting up at Sansa.
“This might be intense,” she warned her. “Do you want to take your bone and go outside for a little bit?” She offered.
Lady stood up and Sansa smiled when the dog leaned in and gave Sansa’s face a few licks. She then picked up her rawhide and went trotting to the swinging door. She pushed it open with her head and Sansa heard her nails crossing the kitchen floor. A moment later, Sansa then heard the flap of Lady’s dog door that let her out into the backyard.
“Good girl,” Sansa whispered and rose to her feet. Sitting down at her table, she took a sip of tea and then set the cup safely aside.
She closed her eyes and cleared her mind. She didn’t expect anything to happen. When Sansa saw Lyanna Snow, Rhaegar’s strength around her had been intense. Lyanna wasn’t going to speak to her. But Sansa still wanted to try. Jon’s lack of reaction to his mom not wanting to speak to him made Sansa want to try.
She spoke the woman’s name into the darkness. There was nothing but darkness. Lyanna Snow. Sansa concentrated on the woman and the darkness surrounding her. Nothing was coming. Sansa couldn’t feel anything. There was nothing but darkness. But then, a whoosh of air so strong and so cold blew into her, it knocked her backward, her chair coming with her.
“Ow!” Sansa yelped out a cry of pain as her body hit the hardwood floor beneath her. The back of her head hit the floor. Hard. If her eyes weren’t already closed, she’d see stars in front of them.
“Stay away from Jon.”
The voice did not belong to Lyanna. It was a man’s voice, but Sansa still couldn’t see anything in the darkness. There was no spirit. Just a voice. And the voice was so hard and mean in tone, Sansa felt the fear grip her heart. She had dealt with spirits like this before. She was glad she didn’t have to go to the bathroom. More than one of these angry spirits had made her pee herself. And this might be one of the angriest voices she had ever heard.
She tried to concentrate on Lyanna’s name. Even lying on the floor, unable to move and with her skull throbbing, she did her best to ignore the voice and focus on Lyanna’s name, speaking it, urging the woman to come to her. The voice went right into her ear.
“Jon is mine. STAY AWAY FROM HIM!” The voice shouted and it vibrated the picture frames hanging on the walls.
And just as suddenly as the voice appeared, it was gone again and the darkness disappeared. Sansa’s eyes snapped open. Lady had come rushing back into the house when she heard Sansa being knocked over and her crying out and the dog was now licking her face. Sansa realized her cheeks were wet and Lady was licking the tears that had leaked from her eyes.
Sansa sat up. Her entire body was throbbing with pain as if she had just been thrown against a wall. She wrapped her arms around Lady’s neck and began crying into her dog’s fur. It had been a while since something had scared and threatened her like that.
She knew that voice. She had heard it on the news when the story broke and had remained in the news for weeks after. It was the voice of Rhaegar Targaryen.
…