[i]“What are you talking about? Resting place?”[/i]

Jace wasn’t sure what to answer her so he rubbed the back of his head and looked away, peering at her apologetically after a moment. [i]’She doesn’t know what she is..’[/i] he thought, feeling a twinge of pity for the girl. He was still creeped out by the whole thing, but somehow seeing her look confused at his reference to her ghostly nature made her seem less frightening and more tragic. He regretted shouting that she wasn’t real...

He didn’t have to explain it to her though. He could see the realization dawning on her face and it was heartbreaking. She seemed to be remembering something painful, from the look on her face. Her eyes were distant and began to well with tears. 

[i]“I-I’m dead.”[/i]

Jace looked away awkwardly, seeing the emotion in her expression. “S-Sorry.” It must have been a horrible thing to realize. He couldn’t imagine it. He had never been good at consoling people and [i]this[/i] was way out of his depth. He was about to attempt to console her again when she cried out suddenly,

[i]“I was murdered!”[/i]

He stared at her in shock, then glanced down at awful bruises around her neck. He swallowed unconsciously. “Murdered,” he whispered and it wasn’t really a question but a conformation. It was just like the stories people told about this place, about the girl who was supposed to have died here. It was her alright, come back from the dead. He should have felt frightened but it was hard to feel anything but remorse for her as she began to sob uncontrollably. After a moment of watching silently, Jace sat down on the floor across from her and let her cry without interrupting. [i]’I wish I could say something to make her feel better..’[/i] he thought miserably. He wondered if she remembered the details of her death, but knew this wasn’t the appropriate time to ask. Suddenly he frowned. All the stories about this girl involved her killing herself. No one ever talked about it being a murder…

It was just as this thought crossed his mind that the girl began to calm down, her sobs becoming softer and more sniffly. Jace shook his head slightly as she apologized.

“It’s ok. You don't have to be sorry for anything.”

[i]“I don’t know how. . . I’m alive again. But I didn’t put this thing on us. . . and I don’t know how to get it off.”[/i]

At this point he had figured that if she hadn’t even known she was a ghost, she probably didn’t have any answers concerning the chain. Jace tugged at it idly. “Maybe it will disappear when we leave the house,” he suggested, though he sounded doubtful. He didn’t mention wondering if [i]she[/i] too would disappear on the threshold, or at least be unable to leave. Perhaps he could leave both she and the chain behind simply by stepping off the property. 

He watched as she got to her feet and agreed to go with him. “Alright, follow me.” He stood up as well and gave her a nod as she introduced herself. “I’m Jace.” [i]Lilika.[/i] Just like the name on the photo. If he needed any more proof, that was it. This girl was Lilika’s ghost and somehow he was unlucky enough to be haunted by her. He never should have wandered away from his friends, or even come back to the house at all.

“Come on, this way.” Just like before, he knew exactly where to go, as if the house were familiar to him. He led them down to the cellar door where he and his friends had entered and soon they were out of the house. Jace let out a sigh of relief. He was still chained to the girl but he felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders just by being out in the fresh air again. It was still dark outside but he could see a faint glow between the trees as the early morning sun began to rise. 

“We better get going,” he said, heading quickly toward the gap at the fence. He was quite a bit taller than the girl and walked at a faster pace. The chain became taught between them as he hurried off and he adjusted his stride so she could keep up with him. 

Once they had left the property, the chain sill solid around their wrists, Jace glanced at her and said quietly, “Listen, I’m sure how to say this but… Well, your death is kind of common knowledge for everyone in the town, especially the older generations. Everyone jokes about..uh, I mean, they [i]mention[/i] your ghost supposedly haunting the house. The thing is, nobody talks about it being a murder. Everyone says..” he looked away. “They say it was suicide. Even the newspaper called it a suicide I think. I’ve never seen the article or anything, but I’m sure they have a copy in the library.” They were almost out of the woods now. Pretty soon they’d be approaching his backyard. “Are you sure you were murdered? I mean, you didn’t even know you were dead…”