The Ghost of You I Cannot Deny

~3~ The Room and The Illusion

~You learned to run from what you feel, and that's why you have nightmares. To deny is to invite madness. To accept is to control.~

-Megan Chance, The Spiritualist: A Novel

'Ah this is the life,'Kalia thought, smiling sleepily as she pulled her pillow closer, nuzzling her face into the feather soft surface. It was surprisingly fluffy and it smelled like shampoo, and then there was the fact that it was warm, oh and lets not forget that it breathes! She'd never had a pillow like that before but this was definitely comfortable. Comfortable enough to maybe invest in a couple-

Wait. It breathes?

Her eyes flew open, and she jerked upwards, moaning in pain as her head hit something sharp. 'When had there been a sharp thing in her bed?' She wondered, frowning as she rubbed the sore spot, looking up at what was responsible for her pain only to freeze as a rush of emotions surged through her as she saw the staircase.

New house, uneasiness, darkness, shadow, painting, door, fear, tears-

She remembered.

A sleepy meow had her looking back down, blinking as she squinted, wiping her eyes with her free hand only to see golden green eyes staring half lidded at her before shutting once more, a large yawn coming from Kiyoshi's small mouth as she curled back up into a ball.

Kalia blinked at the kitten before looking back up once more, taking in the large ceiling and the chandelier, only to realize she had never shut off the lights last night.

"Great," She muttered, wincing as her head hit against the wall behind her, "Now I have to worry about the electricity bill."

She stood with a sigh, careful not to disturb the sleeping kitten as she stretched her legs before moving out from her corner, stretching her arms above her head before shivering as a burst of cold air stoked the now visible skin of her stomach, making her bring her arms down to pull her black t-shirt back in place. She scanned the room, taking a moment to admire the way the wood gleamed in the sunlight before moving on to the window that stood just above the tall doors. It looked to be around morning time, maybe around nine or ten which meant she had to get going. After all, she still had to pick out a room and unpack.

She started towards the stairs before pausing; slipping her shoes off and setting them down near the doorway. 'Not that it'll matter now.'Kalia mussed grumpily, running a hand through her messy hair as she began up the steps.

She wasn't as afraid as before; after all, as long as there was light, nothing could get her. Or at least… that was what she hoped. She'd always told herself that as a kid. She had had a wild imagination –in fact she still had one- back then and it had often caused her dreams and delusions that had her petrified. And every time she would sing to herself as she chanted that simple fraise in her mind. Over and over again as she sat curled into a ball on her bed, her lamp illuminating her room as she stared terrified at the shadows.

'As long as the light is on nothing can get you. There is no such thing as monsters. They aren't real. There's nothing there, there's- Oh god. There's nothing there! There's nothing there! Nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing! NO MONSTERS EXSIST! IT'S FAKE IT'S-'

'Stop it!' She shook her head, dislodging the assault of emotion the memories brought, mentally shoving everything back into a dark corner as she came to the top of the stairs.

This time, wary of the door she had seen the night before, she turned right, heading down the similar looking hallway. The wooden floor was cold under her feet and she shivered as goose bumps formed over her skin before glancing around at the walls, mentally noting that everything was the same except for the doors and the paintings.