Ghost Story

Chapter 5

Emma found herself in a bright white room. Her footsteps echoed as she walked. There was a male figure walking towards her. His footsteps were much heavier than her own. But, instead of fear, the feeling that passed through her was curiosity. He walked closer to her and she looked up at him. His blue eyes stared into hers. His outfit was made of leather and his hair was parted to the side.

"Good evening, Miss Nolan. I'm Killian Jones." He held his hand out for her and she placed it in his. She was surprised to find that his touch was warm and welcoming. He raised her hand up to his lips and kissed her knuckles. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting to properly introduce myself."

"Well, aren't you the proper gentleman?" She asked playfully.

"My parents did raise me well." Killian smiled at her, but she could see something in his eyes.

"What is this?"

"This is my way of talking to you, so do me a favor, and don't wake up." She giggled, and his smile lit up his face. "You are so beautiful." He raised his hand up to her cheek and cupped her face.

"Thank you," she blushed and looked down.

"Now, you got your answers, so I want mine." He sat down on the ground and gestured for her to do the same. "Who is Neal?"

She laughed. "How did I know this was going to come up sooner or later? He is my ex."

"Is that why you were crying that first night?"

She looked down at her fingers in her lap. "He told me that I wasn't good enough. That I never would be."

"Don't believe him. I barely know you, and you are already too much for me." Emma smiled at that. She glanced back up at him and he had a smirk on his face. "I feel like I have an advantage. I see you everyday. You, you don't see me though."

"What do you need in order for you to... Present yourself to me?"

"More energy."

"So, you mean like battery power?"

"Aye. Things like that. Your computer, your phone, your camera. Anything that gives something off energy."

Emma suddenly became dizzy. The room began to spin, and she wasn't sure if she was falling or not. "Wow. I think I'm waking up."

"No! You have to stay asleep! Stay with me!" He yelled. He crawled behind her and wrapped his arms around her.

"I'd love to stay, but this is beyond my control."

"You need to get my journal! In the basement, there's a trunk, in that trunk is my journal. You'll read everything about my past in there. Find it! Then, open your recorder and I'll give you instructions."

Before Emma faded away, she tightened her grip on him, and he did the same to her. When she woke up, it was bright in the room. The light was just starting to seep in through the curtains. She glanced at the clock, and saw that it was just after six in the morning. She got out of bed and went to the basement just like Killian had told her to do. She looked around the basement for the trunk, but she couldn't find it.

"Where is it?" She whispered. The basement was dark and dusty. It smelled of mold.

She felt a push on her back, in the direction of the darkest part of the basement. She walked over to it and found an old wooden trunk. She wiped the dust off of it and found a plaque that read Killian Jones in fancy letters. She unlatched it and found cobwebs and bugs that had found their way into it. She covered her mouth with her sleeve and looked inside the trunk for the journal. There were many books inside it. She decided to just grab all of them and bring them to her room.

She set everything up on her floor and opened the recorder on her phone, just like Killian told her to do. She grabbed a black leather book and opened it up in her lap. In it were drawings. There were ones of what she guessed was the moonlight bouncing off of the water. There was a drawing of a hill covered with flowers and trees. The last drawing she saw before she put the book aside was of a girl. She was older with dark hair.

"Milah," Killian spoke.

"She's pretty," Emma said, trying to push the thought of Killian and another woman out of her head. But, Milah was definitely lucky. She knew Killian when he was alive. It's not like Emma could really be mad.

She grabbed another leather book and opened it up to the first page. The pages were starting to turn yellow, so she handled this one with a lot of care.

June 13, 1845

Today, Mother found me a book just like Liam. I decided that it would be the perfect way to let out my feelings without being judged.

Father built us a house to live in before I was born. He is a tax collector, so he has money. We are a very wealthy family, but I don't really care. All I care about it that we are together.

June 16, 1845

Today, I met the most beautiful woman in the village today. Her name is Milah. She is five years older than me at age twenty. She has curly black hair, and the face of a goddess. I'm only fifteen, but I know beauty when I see it.

Liam is leaving us for a few days with father. It will just be me and mother in our big house. I hope one day, someone will enjoy the history that we brought to the property. Maybe my son or daughter can live in it, and it will be a family home, passing to each generation. Stories told from the word of mouth.

June 30, 1845

It has been two weeks since my last entry. Father's boss, Mr. Gold has made our lives a living hell. I have a feeling that he wants more than money. He has shown an interest in mother. Father was furious. He said some words that shouldn't be repeated. But, Gold doesn't want Liam or me in the picture. I told Father that we should move away, but he wants to hold his ground. Stubborn arse, just like Liam.

July 27, 1845

Liam has been becoming ill. I have a feeling that it's because of Gold and his attempts to win mother's heart. That he will be able to piece her heart back together when her oldest son dies. But, no one believes me. I will confront Gold today. I still have my leverage.

Emma shut the book, not able to read any more. Her stomach was churning uncomfortably. "Liam didn't die though. I saw three people outside the window in the first dream," she thought aloud. "You saved your brother."

"Not myself," he said through the recorder.

Emma let out a sigh. She gathered all of the books and stuck them under the bed, except for his journal. She placed that in her nightstand and crawled back into bed. "I'll read a little bit more later." She shut her eyes and drifted back to sleep.