Chapter Text
Maybe running off from her friends was a bad idea.
Maybe practically hurdling herself off of the wall just as Aiden had wasn’t exactly smart.
Maybe Ashlyn Banner wouldn’t have gotten herself into this mess if she’d been in her right mind.
But she wasn’t.
The red sky was quickly covered by the thick foliage of leaves as she continued to sprint, her boots stomping on the ground as she followed the red hair running away from her.
“Ashlyn!” A voice called.
“Come back!” Another.
The one sane voice in her mind urged her to listen. To stop this nonsense before she got herself and everyone else killed. But it was a small voice, easily squandered by the rest.
Come back. The rest of the voices screamed at her, echoing her friend's own pleas. Come back! But these voices were aimed at the little girl running away from her.
Twigs snapped and dead leaves crunched beneath her as she heaved, pushing herself to go faster. Faster.
The little girl was slowing down, her body unable to keep up the chase as long as Ashlyn could. Almost there.
Every fiber in her being was screaming. Her heart was racing dangerously like she was this close to being dead. Or this close to being alive.
Whoever this girl was, she was important. Because the closer she got, the more Ashlyn felt whole again.
Why is this happening? She thought offhandedly as she reached her hand out, just a few more feet. What am I doing? I’m going to get killed. But strangely, there were no phantoms around.
Another traitorous thought whispered, who is she?
She didn’t have to wonder for long as her hand finally latched onto the little girl’s hand. Immediately, she tripped, and Ashlyn along with her.
Ash grunted as she hit the ground tumbling, the girl yelping in surprise. She could feel the rocks and broken branches stabbing into her skin. That was going to leave a few bruises.
Finally, they stopped.
The forest was deadly silent, holding its breath as Ashlyn opened her eyes. She expected to be met with red hair and pale skin, she thought she was chasing a little girl.
But her heart dropped when milky white eyes smiled at her instead.
“Fuck!” Ashlyn threw herself off of the phantom as it screeched at her. What the hell? Where did she go?
Ashlyn fumbled for the spare dagger she kept on her belt. Aiden had given it to her. Just in case her boots couldn’t help her anymore.
I just want you to stay safe, Aiden smiled, a rare moment of softness.
Well, she’d failed at that simple wish.
The phantom lunged at her, snapping its yellow teeth at her hungrily. Ashlyn kicked it in the chest, easily flipping it onto its back. She held its wrists down, searching desperately for any sign of the girl she thought she’d been chasing.
Was she going insane?
No, she shook her head. I know I was chasing someone. Someone human. But the phantom writhing beneath her disagreed.
I can’t just stay here, it was stupid of me to run off like that, Ashlyn thought. She readjusted herself so that her hand was wrapped around both skinny black wrists and used her free hand to unsheath the dagger. She needed to kill this thing and get back to her friends.
Giving the phantom one last look, she brought the dagger down and plunged it straight into its heart. It stopped moving, lying limp beneath her.
“Ash!” Taylor’s voice called. They were getting closer.
She smiled, grateful that they cared enough for her to risk coming out to get her. I’ll apologize and explain, then we can get back to training–
Her thoughts died out as she went to grab the dagger from the phantom and was met with the cold corpse of Ashlyn– wait. Ashlyn?
The phantom she’d killed was no longer there, instead, the body of a tween Ashlyn smiled at her. The beginning of tears made her eyes glossy. Her hair was long, her braids reaching the bottom of her back, but still not as long as Ashlyn’s in the real world.
But that wasn’t right. Ashlyn’s mouth was agape, her body unmoving as her younger self began to move. Her body was cold, so cold, but she was still alive. Somehow.
Little Ashlyn slowly grabbed the dagger imbedded in her chest, but there was no blood. She gripped it and twisted, and Ashlyn doubled over, her throat closing up.
She looked down, searching for a stab wound. But there was nothing there. Ash began to cough up nonexistent blood as she grabbed her chest, right where her heart would be. The pain was almost unbearable, sharp and unforgiving.
Except, young Ashlyn looked like she finally accepted an apology she’d been waiting for. “Thank you,” She whispered, before closing her eyes.
Ashlyn couldn’t speak. She couldn’t think. All she knew was that the pain she felt was a sacrifice for the what she was about to gain or lose. It depended on her, and the friends she’d made that were currently running over to her.
She didn’t know how she knew that, and she wouldn’t be able to figure it out. Her consciousness was quickly slipping from her grip, and no matter how she tried to fight to hold onto it, it was like trying to grab onto water.
“Ashlyn!” Aiden yelled, waving at her. His signature smile brightening when she looked at him. “There you are!”
The rest of their group appeared behind him when he waved them over. Ash felt like crying, because she didn’t know when she’d see them again. Wait, why wouldn’t she able to see them again?
Her vision darkened, and her head began to pound. Maybe she should take a nap. Yeah, that sounded good. She didn’t need to worry about phantoms anymore, her friends would take care of her.
“Ash?” Aiden said, slowing down as he neared her.
I’ll see them when I wake up, she told herself. Then, sixteen-year-old Ashlyn closed her eyes and her mind slipped away and collapsed.
—
“Where did all the phantoms go?” Taylor asked, looking around nervously as they neared the graveyard.
“No idea, but I’m not about to complain,” Tyler said, yelling for Logan to open the door. Tyler had ordered Logan to stay behind when Ashlyn had first run off. They needed someone to stay and guard the graveyard and let them back in once they got back. Plus, it was safer for him, Tyler argued.
As they trudged inside, Aiden stayed close to Ben. Or, well, he stayed close to Ashlyn. The girl was asleep on Ben’s back, completely knocked out when they finally found her.
Her hair looks longer, Aiden thought as he studied her. Does her hair really grow that fast?
“You found her!” Logan jogged up to them after closing the door again. “Is she alright? What happened?”
“She’s fine,” Taylor answered, looking at Ash worriedly. “But we don’t know what happened. She was knocked out cold when we got to her.”
“She killed a phantom, though,” Aiden chimed in. “With my knife.” He didn’t know why he emphasized that, but he felt the need to brag.
Ben rolled his eyes.
“So she isn’t hurt?” Logan asked, fixing his glasses as they stepped inside their designated bus.
“Not that we can tell,” Tyler said.
The bus was a welcome sight after trampling in the woods for the past hour after Ashlyn. Ever since they began shifting to the phantom realm and figured it wasn’t just a fluke, they’d begun making the bus their home. They’d taken out the front seats and hung up some fairylights, their box of weapons layed in the corner by the door. Blankets and medical supplies littered the gound. It wasn’t much, but it was theirs.
They continued to talk as they settled inside. Aiden tuned them out as he looked at Ash, still fast asleep. She didn’t look to be too battered up, just dirty with the exception of a few scrapes. Her face held some scars he’d never noticed before, though. Which was strange, because he knew every scar that littered her body. She blinked at him as he furrowed his brows, where did those new scars come from?
Hold on.
“Ash!” Aiden grinned. “You’re awake!”
Aiden didn’t know what he was expecting, but what he got certainly wasn’t it.
Ashlyn’s eyes widened, as if snapping back into reality. She shoved herself away from Ben, clawing at him aggressively until he let her go.
“Woah!” Aiden yelped.
Tyler and Taylor shot up at the same time.
“What the hell?!” Tyler yelled.
“Ben, are you alright?” Taylor panicked.
Ash grabbed Aiden's her dagger and swung it around wildly, her eyes were frantic as she bared her teeth. “Get away!” Aiden jumped away from her knife, being the closest to her other than Ben.
Yikes, he thought. That was close.
“Ash, you’re okay now,” Logan said, talking in a soothing voice. “We’re back in the graveyard.”
Ashlyn didn’t seem too impressed. “Who are you people? What do you want from me, and how did you find me!”
“What?” Tyler scoffed. “Did you hit your head too hard or something?”
She pointed her dagger at Tyler, as if daring him to say another word.
“I asked you a question,” Ashlyn lowered her voice threateningly. “Who. Are. You.”
Logan was the first to step up, putting his hands out in mock surrender. “Ash, we’re your friends.”
Ashlyn grunted, laughing without humor. “I’ve been here alone for years, and not once have I encountered anything other than those stupid monsters. I especially don’t have any friends.”
Everyone went silent as they stared at Ashlyn. She wasn’t being serious, was she?
“Ash, do you really not remember us?”
They all waited in baited silence until she finally answered.
“I’ve lived in this hell hole since I was ten,” she said quietly. “I don’t know who you are, and you sure as hell don’t know me.”
She stepped closer, and everyone backed away subconsciously. She lifted her dagger up to the closest person, which so happened to be Aiden due to his habit of always somehow being right by her side.
“Now this is your last chance. Tell me who you people are,” She looked directly into Aiden’s eyes as she said this. “And maybe I won’t kill you right here, right now.”