I&#x27;m Living Dead, Dead, Dead, Dead

Collin continued to watch her every now and then as she looked upon the item given to her, and before he could even say anything he noticed the tears starting to drip down his daughters cheeks to land onto the paper star in the palm of her hand. He turned his body a little more so he could be face-to-face with her, but as he went to speak she took the first words that made him practically forget his own.

He stared at her for a few seconds at a loss for words, but eventually he couldn’t hold back his smile and shook his head. “Don’t be…it’s said n’ done now right?”

Without a second thought, he wrapped his arm around his daughter’s shoulders to pull her closer to his side. As gentle as manageable, he rubbed the arm belonging to her that was farthest from him with a sigh. He didn’t really know himself anymore how to feel, but he knew that his daughter was sorry, and he knew that it wasn’t really his fault that this happened.

Grabbing lightly onto her, he helped her stand on her feet with a light huff of breath escaping his lungs. Looking back to her, he grinned and motioned backwards with his head.

“Wanna stay at my place fer the night..? I think you’ve been on yer ma’s roof long enough,” he chuckled quietly, letting his hand fall back down to his side from her shoulder a second time.

Bless had returned completely back to normal when she had remembered everything minus her own death, she thought she would cry out more to her dad and beg for forgiveness but she realized it wasn't necessary. She let whatever tears that were held back for the longest time just spill out without stopping them and smiled for the first time in weeks and nodded her head at Collin's offer.

"Okay... but only if you promise one thing! You have to have tea and sweets with us here."

Hearing these almost inaudible words leave his daughter’s lips, he almost huffed out a brief laughter. Of course, he choked on it, and swallowed it down with the slightest uncomfortable feeling spreading through his veins. With a swift motion, he allowed his hand to slide off of the girl’s shoulder only to fall to his side with ease. He couldn’t hold back the sympathetic smile that formed on his lips, though he was careful to not re-open the wound that had already been opened in his lip just minutes before his arrival.

Collin slowly went down onto one knee beside his daughter, and he played with the small item in his hand before gently taking her hand in his. As he had her hand in his own, he slipped the item into her palm and closed her fingers over it. He gently pushed Bless’ hand back to her chest, and after that he rested his hands against the cold pavement below the two of them.

“M’not really-..sure what it is….but ‘f it helps..” he spoke under his breath, and shifted his position once more so he had his legs crossed into something that resembled the normal pretzel stance.

After handing her said item, he kept his gaze on the view that was able to be seen from where they had sat. He did give her side glances however, and he smiled a little wider as she started to get a good look at the item he had placed into her hand.

Time seemed to slow down and Bless couldn't find the will to keep up when Collin had placed the paper star in her hand and pushed it back towards her. She blinked a few times and wondered what to do, she opened her palm to get a better look at the star. It was torn and ripped from the edges, it wasn't neatly done, most likely a first attempt and it seemed really worn out and old. Bless' fingers were trembling, wanting to be careful with it and being angry on why she wanted to be gentle towards it. Bless used her free hand to look under the ripped flap and saw the letters "alo" and wondered what it said continuing to look under other small flaps revealing, "I","wi" "n't" and "mor". Bless tilted her head and tried to think what it was, it was for certain that this was her handwriting. And then it hit her as if she had jumped from that same roof, 'I wish I wasn't alone anymore.' that wish she had made all those years ago.

It was a simple wish she had made when her old dear friend died and she remembered how he had taught her about how to make a paper star to make a wish. It was then that she had remembered all the pleasant times before she became a poltergeist and a ghost. Unknowingly, small tear drops left her eyes and landed in the palm of her hand with some landing on the star. Bless mumbled the wish out loud before turning to her father with the words, "...I'm sorry Dad..."

Collin was actually shocked to see that Bless hadn’t noticed him, but then again she could just be too wrapped up in her own thinking. He knew she was afraid, probably more afraid than he ever could be in this moment. He took in a slow breath and huffed it out quietly through his nostrils before he decided to take the remaining steps that separated him from his daughter. Hazel eyes panned down to the crumbled and torn paper star that rested in his hand, and he nibbled on the inside of his cheek while he took the moment to look at it.

Slow and hesitant, he closed his fingers back over the item, and with his free hand he reached out to rest it against the smaller girl’s shoulder. She seemed so fragile, and it he was as soft and careful with the touch as he could be in this situation, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t trembling the smallest bit out of pure nervousness. He cleared his throat almost inaudible, and even still he couldn’t find the right words, all he could do was go with what he felt would be the right thing to start it off.

“Bless…I have somethin’ fer you….a friend ‘f yours gave it t’me..”

"....Some..thing for me...?" A quiet whisper came out of the poltergeist, she had no idea what to do. Her mind was torn apart of not knowing whether to snap back at him and beat him to a pulp again and to cry, cry, cry her lonely tears and beg for forgiveness. She felt her father tremble as he touched her shoulder, ever since being left out here Bless's mind was left to think of possibilities of outcomes so she had been thinking of why he was trembling. Was it because he was scared of her? Scared of startling her? Or was it just because it was cold out currently? Or maybe it's because he was nervous? Her mind repeated these options and Bless just froze.

When her father said a friend of hers she couldn't think of anyone, she acted to rash, who'd want to be her friend after everything Bless did? Bless raised her head, a part of her still believing Collin wasn't there and it was all just an illusion from her mind.

It was a short drive to his destination, about ten minutes tops, and as he arrived there he felt something inside him go cold. He hadn’t been at this place in months, and now that he was there he felt a familiar emptiness that he knew all too well. However, he’d have to shake it off, for this wasn’t about him.

He parked the truck across the street from the large house, and started to make his way around. It took a while to find a good spot, but soon enough he did. Looking around carefully to make sure he wouldn’t be mistaken for some kind of criminal, he pressed the ladder he had brought with him against the side of his ex-lover’s home. As quiet as possible, he started to climb up it, and to him it felt like an eternity until he made it to the roof itself. Once he did, he pulled the ladder up with him to set it along the side railing so there wouldn’t be an idea he was up there.

With one more huff of air heaving out of his lungs, he turned on his heels to see his daughter sitting there, and he felt a chill run through him. He didn’t know if it was a nervous chill, or if it was just the cold night hair that gave him the goosebumps which soon infested the top layer of his skin. He took very cautious and quiet steps as he approached, and he only took three to five before he stopped. Collin was a good distance from Bless now, and it gave him the chance to get out of the way in case she attempted to attack him a second time. He couldn’t think of any witty or smart remarks to say, so he just decided to keep it completely serious. This was a serious matter after all right? There was no time to joke anymore. Clearing his throat almost inaudible, he spoke through trembling lips.

“….Bless?”

Bless was sitting down with her knees to her chest and her head down when Collin had arrived, she was only waiting but she didn't know what she'd do when she was done. Her father's voice echoed into her head, Bless didn't even know if he was actually there or not, a big part of her believed it was all in her mind, that her father wasn't behind her and she was hallucinating now just like before, after all she only heard her name. Maybe he wasn't there, maybe she still needed to wait, maybe it was all taking a toll on her, either way only a soft grunt came out from the poltergeist.

She ducked her head and smirked, having no desire to move, "Tch, I don't need no one, but myself.." her voice came out in a low whisper.

Bless stayed on the roof ever since Madam Glass disappeared, she first thought it was because she wanted to face her head on and take her down, but as the days passed she realized it wasn't that. Bless didn't know what it was, but she was feeling something, something that she couldn't point her finger at. She continued to wait though, she didn't know what she was waiting for and she didn't know how long she was going to wait for, but she knew she had to stay until she was done waiting.

Bless kept thinking about what Madam Glass had told her before leaving her, “You aren't the Bless that I know and I will wait for her to come back when she’s ready to fight you.”, those words replayed over and over in her head, at first she had thought that Madam Glass had meant that her family would eventually come and force back their Bless back, but now she wasn't so sure. No one had come up to fight her, to scold her, to reason with her or even try to get her, even what she was in the attic. It seemed like no one had tried to even get her at all. Had they given up? Were they angry at her? She had hurt her father to the point of unconsciousness and slashed at Mini, making her relive shortly those bitter memories. Maybe they had realized that she wasn't worth saving.

Thinking all this made her heart feel like a knife was being stabbed with needles and made her chest feel heavy, she couldn't think of anything else. She never stayed long enough to actually think about things, she just acted on impulse when she first became a poltergeist and afterwards she was in hiding knowing full well that she'd be put down if they had found her. Staying on the roof top alone for those two day and only having the words that Madam Glass speak to her as the last words to be said to her made her realize what exactly she was feeling while she fought her dad and sister.

The words came out of her mouth in a quiet almost childlike voice, "...Am I lonely..?"

The poltergeist hid in the shadows of the attic, too agitated to move anywhere else, angered that she might have to face more of the people she once knew. Bless held her head, putting her forehead to her knees, breathing heavily and trying to think straight for just a moment. It was getting hard now, she had control before when this all started, when she nearly killed her father, but ever since her sister had not left her alone she was spiraling down. Bless had lost control and was still losing it. She breathed deeply, trying to think of ways to go to avoid anyone until she left completely from this mansion.

"Well, well, well... Bless you've turned out to be quite different. I was wondering why you didn't come for our afternoon teas anymore." A familiar voice spoke from behind her. A woman with light blonde hair, that almost looked white and piercing green eyes, sighed as she crossed her arms. This woman was Madam Glass, an enemy turned friend, but seeing as the events were changing with Bless, she's 99% sure Madam Glass would soon turn back to her enemy again.

Bless snapped back up from her position and turned towards her, "What the hell do you want? Are you here to scold me? Comfort me? Tell me to stop being what I am right now?" She sneered expecting some bold answer.

"No. You're pathetic right now. I am not your mother nor your father. I am not your sister nor your brother. I am not your family, 'Bless'. I am simply a friend who was once your enemy and I can tell you right now. I will not fight you." Madam Glass stated with a straight face.

Bless seemed stunned, she was expecting her to fight or at least argue with her, but she didn't even make an attempt. Madam Glass continued to speak, "You aren't the Bless that I know and I will wait for her to come back when she's ready to fight you." Madam Glass soon disappeared into the wall with Bless snapping back and trying to go after her, taking a swing but it was too late, she was gone.

"When she's ready huh...." Bless sneered as she retracted her nails back. All she could think about was how this event should turn out.