Into the Light

133 Anna's POV

"Anna? What's happening? Tell me what you see," I heard Ash's voice, but it was further away now, muffled behind the noises of the town. "I thought so...but there is something different about you. Hmmm...anyway, what are you doing here? Not too many of you come to visit, unless they're dreaming. You're not asleep. Are you a witch?" The girl hooked her arm through my elbow and started leading me down the cobblestone road, towards the village. "Anna? Can you hear me?" Ash's voice was more insistent this time, annoying me like a fly that wouldn't stop buzzing around my head. "YES!" I exclaimed, answering him. The girl looked at me strangely, but didn't say anything about my uncalled for outburst. Since I had finally registered in my mind that Ash was still talking to me, and that I should probably be listening, his voice came through a lot clearer. "Feel your hand in mine, Anna. Feel the forest ground beneath your feet and smell the earthy scent that surrounds your actual body. Ground yourself, but keep your mind there. Keep your eyes on whatever you're seeing. Keep the spirit world alive." I nodded and squeezed his hand a little, so that I could feel it in my own. I shuffled my feet and heard the crunch of dead leaves and felt the  thickness of the moist soil beneath me. I took a deep breath, forcing the enticing smell of my spirit world away, while bringing in the actual smell of the forest. I could hear Colby laughing in the background. When I heard him, I snapped my eyes open and knew that I was still here. I was still alive and home. "Oh!" I gasped out, surprised at what I saw. We weren't alone in the woods anymore. The girl that I had been talking to was there, right in front of me, plus others. There was at least 15 more people in the clearing with us now. I knew they were spirits but, for the life of me, I couldn't figure out how to tell them apart from regular people. Even Barbie was there, her chest covered this time, leaning her elbow on Ash's shoulder. "You see them, don't you?" he asked, grinning at me. I nodded and swallowed down the small ball of nervous fear. "Great, great," he cooed, nodding his head. "Now, I'm going to send them away and you can try again and again, until it comes naturally. Okay?" I nodded again, but I wasn't sure that I was ready for this. My nerves were jumping under my skin and I couldn't seem to make them stop. He sent the spirits away, asking them to stick close by, because we were going to need them. Again and again, I went back into my spirit world. The one girl was always there, waiting for me. We talked each time, just for a few minutes. I found out that she was my age...well, she was when she died anyway. She had just gotten married a few months before it happened, and became pregnant. Unfortunately, she hadn't made it through the child's birth. I didn't know what to say when she told me. It might've been the saddest thing that I had ever heard. I vowed to never complain or feel sorry for myself about my life being taken from me. Even though I didn't get to experience my new world with my old best friend or my family, God had provided me with a new sort of family and friends. This girl, her name was Stacey, she would never see her family again, or get to make a new one. I messed up a few times, becoming too far immersed in the spirit world, until Ash had to come in to get me. "You can't do that, Anna. You must always be aware of your actual surroundings, or you will get stuck there. Unless you want your second chance at life to be a waste, then you have to pay attention. Let's try again," he chided me. When I finally felt like I had it, he took me a step further. "Now, we're going to practice using the spirits that are willing as our weapon. They will let us use their energy to dispel forwards through the Darkness. While Colby is kissing her, her blackened soul will be vulnerable. I don't know if she will accept the kiss, or retreat, so we can't mess up our one chance. As soon as she knows what is going on, her shield will come back up, making it harder to hurt her. We will be using a lot of different souls. This is the part that I was telling you about earlier. When you take in their energy, you are taking in a piece of them. Which means, you could lose yourself and think that you are actually them. This would, in turn, allow them to possess you, but that's why I am only using spirits that I know, and the ones that they trust. This is as safe as it can be, but still not pleasant. If you don't keep yourself together, they can lose themselves as well. This is a risk for them too. Are you ready for your first attempt?" I just stared at Ash for a minute. Was I ready? Hell no! But I didn't have a choice. I glanced across the clearing at Sam, Kat, and Colby. It looked like they were taking a break. Colby shoved Sam, then ducked out of Katrina's reach, when she tried to slap his arm. I smiled, thinking about how lucky I was to know them. Colby looked up then, right at me. It was too far away for me to really see if he was looking directly at me, but I knew that he was. He threw his hand up and smiled that big gorgeous smile that made my heart drop to my feet. I giggled and waved back. "Yes, I'm ready," I replied, turning towards Ash. I listened to his instructions, step by step, but at first, I just couldn't grasp it. I tried and tried to pull their energy into me. Instead, they would just pass through me, leaving an icy chill in their wake. "UUUGHHGG!" I yelled, frustrated with myself, with Ash, with the spirits, and this entire situation. "Why can't I get it?" "It's okay, Anna. It usually takes Dream Walkers years to master their talents. You have to learn by tomorrow night. Give yourself some credit. You aren't even feeling drained after the spirits pass through you anymore," Ash consoled me. I sighed, and let my head fall back so that I was staring up at the night sky. It felt like we had been at this for hours.