Th13rteen

Chapter 19

Th13rteen

Chapter 19

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Aurelia...

When I opened my eyes, we were back inside the white room, in only an instant.

"Can you teach me how to do that?" I asked, knowing it would come in handy when I wanted to visit my family.

"Of course." She nodded, sitting cross legged on the floor. "It only took me a few days to get the hang of it."

"Alright, cool. Also one more question, are those the clothes you died in?" I asked, pointing to her long cream dress. "Oh, and why is it covered in blood sometimes but not others?"

"Yes, this is the dress I was murdered in. When I am in distress, or feeling very negative emotions, the blood appears as a reflection of how I felt when I died."

Looking down at my blood stained leggings, and sweatshirt from NYU, I wished I had worn something better. What a ridiculous thought to have, but I don't want to wear this forever.

"Your clothing is bloody because your emotions are high." She pointed out.

"You're telling me." I muttered. "Now, can you start explaining things?"

"As you wish. Where would you like me to start?"

I thought for a moment. "I guess from the beginning. Tell me about you and how your story fits into mine."

"Alright." She nodded, taking a breath. I'm sure she's had to relive this too many times.

"I was twenty one when I first met my Matthew. He was twenty one as well. He was hired on as a farm hand at my fathers farm. The moment we met, I knew it was love at first sight. Matthew felt it, too. With my fathers blessing, he courted me, and we were soon after wed."

"Wait, you got married?!"

She laughed. "Life worked differently back then."

"Oh, right." I really wanted to ask the year, but decided to be patient.

"We were happily married, and had a seemingly perfect love." The soft smile she had on her face, slowly turned into a frown. "But things are not always as perfect as they seem. Much like you and your love, bad things started to happen to us on the thirteenth of every month. Robberies, accidents on the farm, fires, the list went on."

I shuddered at how similar our stories were.

"It continued for a year, and then on the year anniversary of our meeting, the darkness you saw appeared. They possessed the body of my father, and stabbed me thirteen times." She swallowed, holding back tears.

"I am not the first that this has happened to. There have been many women before me, and many women after me. They have all found their way to the light, yet I have not. I am always pulled to the next victim as some sort of warning, and I do not know why." A tear rolled down her pale cheek.

"I'm sorry you've had to relive this for so long, through others like you...like me."

"Tis alright, Aurelia." She gave me a reassuring look to tell me that she was okay.

"How often does this happen?"

"Every thirteen years."

Well, can't say I'm surprised.

"It was November thirteen, eighteen seventy-five. That is when I died."

My eyes widened slightly. "Wow that's...so long ago." I didn't know what to say. How do you console a lonely spirit who's been stuck to wander the earth for a hundred and forty-three years, and has had to watch many other women die?