Haunted

Second Impressions

Anadil had admitedly waited all day for Hester to return. She'd never had anything to wait for before. There was never a guarantee that something would happen, only the endless stretch of blurred days and cold nights.

So when she sat up after a night of attempting to sleep, Anadil remembered that something was going to happen soon. Someone was going to see her.

And not just someone. Anadil had seen a lot of people since she died. She'd watched the way their clothes changed (she wished she could wear one of those strange hooded shirts, they looked so cozy). She heard the change in vocabulary, doing her best to keep up with it. All she had were the books people left.

But this girl was different. Something about the way she held herself, or the way her black eyes had locked onto her, and not gone wide with fear. How Hester had known she was there, how she seemed to know things that Anadil never told her.

Yes, there was something special about this Hester girl, and much to her own dismay, she desperately wanted to see her again. There was something exhilerating about having a conversation, hearing a response to her own husk of a voice.

So Anadil tried her best to complete her daily routine, but only got so far as to put the daily mark on her calender wall. After that, she curled up in the seat by the window in the attic. The only one she could see out of- and she watched for Hester.

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Hester arrived in the late afternoon, and Anadil watched as Hester examined the house. She was wearing a black shirt that had no sleeves, and an image Anadil couldn't make out on it. Hester dressed different from most of the other people as well.

Anadil headed down the stairs, rats running after her. By the time she reached the ground floor, Hester was inside. She had her back to Anadil, and was looking at the sitting room.

"You came back." Anadil said simply. She may have waited all day, but she'd still wondered whether or not Hester had meant it. If it was some cruel joke, or a phrase she didn't understand.

Hester looked like she was ready to jump out of her skin when she turned around, but quickly composed herself.

"Damn, you startled me. And yeah, I came back. I told you I would, didn't I?" Hester asked. Anadil sort of liked her voice. It was strong, unwavering.

"I was not sure." Anadil responded, examining the rest of Hester. Her hair still had red color in it, and she was still wearing the uncomfortable looking leather jacket. Hester seemed to shrug a little, before sitting in the same chair as before. Anadil came sat in hers. Hester was sitting in the chair her mother always reserved for guests, and it felt strange to have a guest there after so long.

It was rather awkward for a moment, and Hester finally laughed a little and said, "Well, I'm not sure what happens next."

"You suggested we become more well acquainted with one another, correct?" Anadil asked.

"Yeah, that's the idea. I'm just not sure how to go about it. I guess we could do those annoying personal introductions?"

Anadil tilted her head slightly. "What does that entail?"

"Well, how about I do it first, and then you'll have something to go off of." Hester suggested. Anadil nodded- she wasn't sure what would be in Hester's "personal introduction" but was eager to learn more about her. Though she did her best not to show it.

"Okay, then." Hester laughed a little, before continuing. "Well, you know my name. I'm Hester. Hester Heffernan- which, by the way, means demon." Hester said this with a sense of pride, which confused Anadil, but she didn't say anything. "Anyways. I'm from Philadelphia, I only moved here a couple weeks ago"

"I have been there." Anadil remembered a long trip to visit the large but newer city, Philadelphia. Hester laughed a bit.

"Well, it's definitely changed a little since then. I guess I'm supposed to talk about my interests or something. I played baseball at my old school, I guess. I like music."

"Baseball?" Anadil asked.

Hester looked over at her. "Oh. Well, it's uh... it's a game you play outside." Anadil nodded. She tried not to think about games played outside. She missed the way the breeze felt in her hair, the way raindrops cooled her skin.

"Okay, what else... I'm seventeen, I'm an only child." Hester nodded with a sense of finality, before continuing. "So there's your introduction. Name, where you're from, what you like to do, your age, and if you've got any siblings."

Anadil nodded slightly, feeling a sort of unease at the prospect of such an introduction.

"My name is Anadil White. I am from here- Ravenswood. I enjoy reading, and spending time with my rats, I suppose. As for my age, it's complicated. I was sixteen when I died, but it has been three hundred and forty seven years since I was killed, making me three hundred and sixty three years old."

"Holy shit." Hester murmered under her breath. "But you're basically sixteen then, right?"

"I typically consider myself to be of that age, yes."

"Well, introductions completed, thank God that's over." Hester said, laughing a little.

Anadil nodded, stroking Rat Two's head. He squeaked happily, as though satisfied with the feeling.

"So you can pick things up, then?" Hester asked, watching Anadil's faded fingers run over the rat's fur. Anadil glanced up at her.

"I suppose so. I cannot feel them, however, nor can they feel me. I appreciate his effort though, it does make the experience more authentic." Anadil responded, trying to put humor into her tone. She'd never been great at that, but this felt like the sort of situation one might add humor to.

Hester laughed, which made Anadil want to smile. She didn't, but she wanted to. As Anadil watched the girl in front of her, she felt a distinct feeling in the air. The feeling that something important was going to happen. Something big, something new.

Something lifechanging.