In Your Eyes

Arella had another nightmare that night. It was the same until the end when Paul would jump up and start yelling at her for betraying his secret. Her eyes shot open and she sighed. She could hear the sleet hitting the windows and closed her eyes, trying to go back to sleep but there was nothing for it.

She sat up and felt her nightgown stick to her. At first she thought it was sweat until she looked down.

Her old wounds had opened for some reason and she was bleeding profusely. She stumbled to her feet and down the hall, banging on her parents’ door. Dorothy came rushing in with a robe of her nightgown and her hair all over her face.

“What happened?” she asked as she put more medicine and new bandages on the scars.

“I don’t know,” Arella breathed as the medicine stung in her cuts. “I was sleeping and woke up covered in blood.”

“What were you dreaming about?”

“A nightmare,” she muttered.

“Let me see your hands,” Dorothy said. It seemed strange to Arella but she held them out. Dorothy nodded and showed her Arella’s fingertips. They were bloody. “Was your nightmare about your brother?” She nodded mutely. “You were probably pulling at the scabs. Sometimes nightmares feel so real that we do something in our sleep to fight them off.”

“Sorry for waking you,” she said but Dorothy shook her head.

“I’m glad you did but we should all get back to sleep.”

“I’m going to go down for some tea,” Arella said.

-

The castle was cold and she pulled her robe as tight as she could to her body. She hesitated again at the stairs and decided to close her eyes, keeping a hand on the rail. When she got to the bottom she paused and let out a sigh of relief but it turned into a scream when she opened her eyes. She stumbled back, falling on her rear on the bottom stair.

Paul was standing in front of her. Or at least, it looked like Paul. It was grey and hovered over the floor. At first she thought she was dreaming again or that the nightmare was still there until Paul – or his spirit – knelt in front of her with a smile.

“Thank you.”

His voice seemed to echo and she couldn’t help but reach out to him.

He smiled sadly as her hand went through his.

“Is this really happening?” she whispered, crying.

He nodded. “You almost made a big mistake,” his ghost said and she frowned, wiping her tears. “I’ve been watching you. Every time you come to my grave, every time you cry, I’m there. I saw what you tried to do. You always had such beautiful hair.” She tried to tug at it but it wasn’t long enough.

“I’m sorry I broke my promise,” she whispered, looking imploringly in his eyes.

He shook his head. “Don’t be. I’m glad that Mother and Father know. Now everyone can have closure.”

“How are you still here?”

“I’m your brother. I’ll never leave.”

She reached out again to touch his face. “I miss you so much.”

“I know you do,” he whispered, “but it’s time for you to move on. I asked you not to do this to yourself.”

“Why haven’t you visited before now?”

“I couldn’t. Not until you told the truth about my death. But that’s all over now. Arella, you have to make me a new promise and this time not break it.”

She frowned. “What kind of promise.”

He looked straight in her eyes. “Move on. Please. I’ve hated seeing you in so much pain. All I’ve wanted to do is hug you and swing you around like we used to when we were kids. Do you remember?” She nodded. “I want to see you smile again. Everyone does. I want you to look at Mathias and know that it’s okay to get close to him.”

She wiped her tears away. “I can’t,” she whispered. “It feels like I’m leaving you.”

“We’ll always have a bond,” he assured her. “That’s true. But I want you to allow people into your life. I want them to see your scars, both physical and emotional. I want you to fall in love. I want you to go out and play in the snow. I want you to move passed the heartache you’ve been in for three long years. I want you to let me go.”

She shook her head. “No. I can’t.”

He smiled sadly. “You have to, dear sister.”

They looked at each other for what seemed like an eternity. He looked just as she remembered him and she was glad to see that he was whole even in death.

“At least try,” he said finally and she nodded. “You’re as stubborn as a mule,” he joked and the corners of her mouth twitched. “There you go. Now, remember your promise.”

“I’ll keep it,” she nodded and he started to fade.

“I’ll always be with you,” he said and she closed her eyes.

--

Mathias woke the next morning and headed downstairs for breakfast. He stopped short. Arella was curled in a ball at the foot of the staircase, fast asleep. He looked around but no one was there. He sat down and nudged her shoulder until she woke up.

“Huh?” she said, her eyes cloudy with sleep. “Where am I?”

“The foyer,” he answered. “Interesting place to fall asleep.”

She looked up and all trace of sleep was gone. “I saw him,” she breathed and he frowned. “My brother!” She jumped to her feet and pointed right at the base. “He was right there! He spoke to me! I- I was going to get some tea and went down the stairs and he was there!”

“Um, did you hit your head?” he asked.

She glared. “Of course I didn’t. He was there….”

He arched a brow but shrugged, standing up. “Would you like to join me for breakfast?”

“What?” she asked still looking at the staircase. “Oh. Yes. Breakfast would be lovely.”

--

No matter what Mathias said, Arella knew what she saw. After breakfast, she went back to her room and opened her wardrobe. She reached for her normal black dress but hesitated.

When she joined everyone downstairs, her mother started to cry and her father beamed.

“I haven’t seen that dress in a long time,” he said and Arella smoothed the skirt of the blue dress Paul had gotten her for Christmas one year.

“I thought it would make a nice change,” she muttered and sat down on her throne.