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Her head hurt, she felt shaky. It was a feeling she was used to, she knew where she was. She knew it took a minute to get used to the switch, and she would have the patience to get used to the body she was in now.
Nilspace, a place she didn’t visit often, and usually only visited when she was conscious. She wasn’t used to falling asleep and waking up here, but it wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility.
Rebecca held herself up using her arms, not caring how soaked her gloves got, they’d dry out quickly.
The endless cloudy skies stretched far above her, not currently dripping rain, but clearly it had been raining not long ago. She allowed herself to feel the cold breeze run past her, it was peaceful here, at least today it was. There were no sounds, no people around, just herself and her thoughts.
She knew he wouldn’t be happy if he caught her here again, he’d probably try to drive her out, under the guise of keeping her safe. She didn’t care what was safe, not anymore at least. She knew what she wanted to do, even if it wasn’t safe. Nobody would get in the way of that.
“Rebecca?”
Speak of the devil.
She turned her head to face the man standing not too far away, resting it on her shoulder.
“Sean.” Rebecca greeted quietly, not quite sure what to say yet. She was always like this when she saw him, whether it be through a screen or with her own eyes, never sure what to say.
“What are you doing here?” He asked, taking only a step closer to her.
She pushed herself up to her feet, standing for a moment. “I’m not quite sure, I just woke up here.”
They both stayed silent for a moment after that, just staring at each other. She ran towards him, a sudden motion, a burst of energy. Rebecca crashed into him, holding on tight.
“I missed you.”
His hand placed itself hesitantly on her back, a half-hug. “I missed you too, but you’re not staying here.”
“I know.”
She stayed clinging to Sean for a minute, enjoying his presence. It was rare that she got to see him like this, so she’d make the most of it.
Sean didn’t seem to mind it, allowing her to stay there for as long as she needed.
“We should probably get you inside.” He spoke up, pulling back.
Rebecca just nodded, and followed him through the silence. Along the way she eventually decided to grab his hand, smiling to herself.
A house eventually came into view, one she recognized as Sean’s old house before he died. She took a glance at him in curiosity, but he only shrugged and brought her inside.
It was almost the same as she remembered, except there were more photos lining the walls, photos of people she didn’t know, ones she’d never seen before.
Sean was scanning the walls, a deep focus written on his face. That focus soon gave way to relief though.
“Okay, nothing new, that’s good.”
“What do you mean, nothing new?”
“We always get signs whenever there’s a new resident, but it doesn’t change anything with visitors.”
“Ah, I see.” She hummed, going back to look at the photos on the walls. Most of them seemed to contain children, which concerned Rebecca deeply.
“You’re back!” A voice interrupted her train of thought, and she looked down the hall. A child from one of the photos stood at the other end, looking at Sean.
His head turned to her though, curiosity taking over his expression immediately, before recognition settled in.
“Is that the lady you said was gonna be your wife?”
“Brandon! Not right now please, you can ask me about that later!” Sean’s voice held a little bit of panic, or maybe surprise. It made Rebecca laugh, watching him usher away this child with embarrassment.
“‘Gonna be your wife,’ huh?” She teased when Sean came back into view.
“I am so sorry about him, he has no idea what he’s talking about and what times to say things.” Sean rushed out, his face still red with humiliation. Rebecca chose to give Sean another hug, but not without some more teasing.
“I think he knows exactly what he’s talking about.”
“Rebecca.”
She laughed at his exasperated tone, and let go.
“I was actually just about to make dinner, would you like to join us?” Sean asked, the two of them had sat down on the couch a few minutes ago, just catching up. The child from before had snuck his way back upstairs too.
As soon as Sean said that, however, a door burst open and another kid sprinted out.
“Nope! I’m doing it!” They grinned, already running to the kitchen.
“Ace! Jesus, be nice with the doors. Also, can you even cook?”
“Yeah, I can! Besides, you’ll be right there. But you have a guest, so I’ll cook.”
Rebecca laughed as the two quarrelled for a few more minutes, Sean eventually giving up and letting the teenager cook.
“That kid…” He sighed as he sat back down, but the small smile he had gave away his fondness.
“You seem like quite the busy guy now.”
“Hm?”
“Yeah, two kids to look after, that’s gotta keep you busy.”
“Four. There’s four of them.”
She paused for a minute, surprised by his answer.
“Four?!”
“Yep, four kids. Ranging from twelve to fifteen.”
Rebecca brought her hand up to where her mouth would be, shocked.
“That’s so young… and they’re here permanently? Like…”
“Dead? Yeah.” He sighed, fidgeting with his own hands.
The two of them didn’t get much time to dwell on the reality of the situation, as Ace announced that dinner was ready. Sean stood and went to go grab the rest of the kids, telling Rebecca to stay put.
She was introduced to the other two children, Geometry and Jacob. They were both relatively quiet, which was likely why they hadn’t come to investigate like Brandon and Ace. She chose to stay quiet while everyone ate, choosing instead to listen to whatever conversations arose, and basking in the presence of her dead ‘friend’.
She was surprised that she was able to eat here, more so that she could actually taste it.
However, dinner ended quickly and the children dispersed after cleaning up their own dishes, leaving Sean and Rebecca alone once more. The two of them grabbed their own plates, depositing them in the sink.
Sean guided her upstairs, and to his room, a more comfortable place to talk.
“Well this place looks different.” She hummed as she stepped in, Sean’s room hadn’t been as large, or decorated, when he was alive.
“Yeah, this is what I always wanted, though.”
“I like it, it suits you.” Rebecca took her time looking around the place, it was comfortable, perfectly Sean.
They eventually both sat down on the bed, Rebecca crossing her legs and leaning on her arms behind her.
“So, life’s been treating you well?” Sean asked, well, said. Rebecca knew it was a question though, she knew him well enough.
“Eh, it has it’s ups and downs, and I’m still working a damn retail job so…”
“What did you want to do again?”
“I wanted to be a tattoo artist, still do.”
Sean smiled at that, looking at her and tilting his head a little bit.
“That honestly fits you, do you think you’re ever gonna get to that point?”
“I like to think I will. I just need to get my life in check first.”
“You could probably start with sleeping properly.”
“I a-”
“In your bed, not passing out on the couch at midnight.”
Rebecca went silent after that, staring down at the floor. She knew he wasn’t trying to be mean about it, she just wasn’t used to being called out like that.
“That’s fair.”
“And, you could also work on your drinking habit again.”
“Yeah…”
He pulled her into a hug again, and she melted into it. She had missed Sean so much. She was sure she’d be crying if this body had the capability to. She settled for holding tight onto him instead.
“I just want to see you flourish, okay?” He hummed, running a hand up and down her back, soothing her.
She nodded, wanting him to know that she heard him, even if she didn’t have anything to say.
“I’ve missed you so much…” She whispered after a while of silence, still clinging to him like he’d disappear.
“I’ve missed you too, more than you’ll ever know.”
The two of them eventually found themselves laying under the covers, cuddled up. Neither had said a word for what felt like hours, but they were comfortable, and that’s what mattered.
Rebecca felt herself getting more tired as the minutes ticked on, but she didn’t want to fall asleep, she didn’t want to leave. She willed herself awake for as long as she could, but she found herself drifting to sleep.
The world faded out to darkness, and she felt something touch her forehead, or at least where it would be, a gentle pressure.
“Sleep well, my little flame…” The last words she hardly heard before she fell back into the arms of sleep.
She opened her eyes slowly, being greeted by the darkness of her living room in the early morning hours. She had fallen asleep on the couch again, and now that she was awake she noticed the headache she’d gained.
Rebecca sighed, bringing a hand to her head. She’d have to call in sick for work. She headed to her kitchen to get water, still thinking about that dream, unsure if it was real or not.