Beyond Her Final Breath (Book 1- Shadowland Duology) | Wattys2015

.Chapter Seven.

Sage watched as Evelyn's ghost followed her brother. Questions and doubt plagued her mind. What was Evelyn doing? What did she hope to accomplish? Nathan can't see her. He doesn't have the gift.

Right?

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The school hallway was deserted. The florescent lights from above Nathan's head casted harsh glares on the white tiled floor.

Evelyn's bare feet hovered slightly over the cool tiles, and her hair swayed in an invisible breeze around her face. She appeared almost normal to Nathan, if it weren't for her crimson-splattered clothes.

"Why do you keep following me? I told you, I can't help."

"But you can, Nathan. Can't you see that?" Her dark eyes glittered with excitement. "You can help me remember! You were close to me, right? Maybe you can trigger a memory or something."

Nathan regarded Evelyn, his eyes narrowed and his lips pursed. "I've gone insane, haven't I? I'm talking to my dead girlfriend. I must have post traumatic stress disorder or something."

"Nathan- that's your name, right? You can-"

He threw his hands up. "What next? Are the men in white coats going to take me away?"

"Listen, you're not crazy. I'm here, and I'm real, and I need your help. You have to help me."

Nathan looked at her closely. She wasn't transparent, but then again his mind could easily do that. She looked the same as the last time he saw her, albeit a bit paler.

But was it possible that his mind could make her look so... real?

Evelyn's doe eyes gazed at him with guarded hope.

"Well?" she asked, one thin eyebrow arching into a perfect curve.

Nathan shook his head in disbelief. "You can't be real. It's not possible. Things like this don't just happen."

"Please." Desperation wavered her voice. "You have to believe me."

"Maybe if I ignore her, she'll go away," Nathan muttered to himself.

"No! Nathan!" Evelyn hurried after the boy striding away. "I'm not gonna leave you alone. I'm going to keep following you." Frustration colored her voice.

"She's not really there, Nathan. She's not really there. You're losing it."

"Nathan! Nathan!"

Evelyn followed Nathan, her hair floating off her back in a dark waterfall. Determination made her steps strong and steady, but frustration jerked her steps. Her long pale fingers pulled at a strand of hair with angry jerks, not feeling the pain she normally would have felt.

Nathan turned right around a corner, and Evelyn followed behind. The lights were no longer bright, but dimmed. The hallway was bathed in darkness, the lack of light casting surreal shadows.

Where was he going?

Evelyn's senses were on alert, the darkness reminding her of something. The niggling sensation was back. She had been here before.

"Nathan," she whispered. "Where are we?"

Nathan didn't answer. Instead he continued heading to the pair of doors at the end of the hall. The boy stopped in front of the doors and took a deep breath. Placing one trembling hand on the cool surface, he pushed.

The Old Gym's floor was cracked and worn in places, but it comforted him. A basketball hoop with a ratted up net hung from the ceiling on metal poles. A man with graying hair stood in front of it, dribbling a basketball from side to side.

"Coach." Nathan's voice echoed off the metal bleachers pushed to the sides of the room.

The man swiveled around on one foot, and sighed in relief. "Oh. It's just you, Nate. What do you want?"

Nathan walked closer, the rubber soles of his sneakers squeaking against the floor. "I wanted to ask if I could still be on the Cross- Country team."

"Nathan," he clasped one big hand on Nathan's shoulder. "You were never kicked off."

Nathan rubbed his neck, confusion coating his face. "What?"

"Son, you were mourning. I didn't expect you to come in and run. And I still don't expect you to. There is absolutely no pressure for you to come back."

"I want to," Nathan insisted. "I need to feel normal again. I can't stand this..." He broke off, overcome with emotion.

"Alright. If you want to come back, I'm not going to stop you. You are an exceptional runner." The coach smiled and shot the basketball in his hands. It sunk into the net with a swish!

"Thanks, Coach. I'll definitely be there." His smile was forced and appeared more like a grimace. "I'll be there."

The basketball bounced off of the floor, each thump making Evelyn flinch.

"'Kay. I hope to see you there."

Nathan backed away from the man, almost running into Evelyn.

"Nathan, I know you can see me," she said. "So stop acting like you can't!"

His gunmetal blue eyes stared straight ahead, not once straying from the door. His mouth was set in a hard determined line. His steps were even and light, but there was a certain jerkiness to it.

He swung the doors back open, the sound of the basketball bouncing against the floor fading from his hearing. He wandered the hallways, his gentle footsteps echoing off the metal lockers lining the walls.

A sense of familiarity washed over Evelyn. She'd been here before. She knew these hallways, walked through them time and time again. A memory tickled the back of her mind, the feathery tendrils brushing across the front of her mind.

Evelyn tried to reach for it with her conscious, but it retreated from her grasp. Frustration welled up inside her.

"God damn it, Nathan! Talk to me! Please! I can't stand this anymore!"

Guilt played across Nathan's face before it was wiped clean. He wouldn't give her the satisfaction of his attention. She was just a figment of his imagination after all, right?

Nathan passed by an empty room and sorrow covered his features. A single tear threatened to spill before he hastily rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hand. No tears. He told himself. Memories spilled forth from the back of his mind, flooding his senses with the past.

Images of him and Evelyn floated inside his inner mind. Her, dark hair fanning around her face, cheek flushed with excitement, doe eyes bright and her giggles echoing off the walls as they snuck out of the empty room. He would try to whisper into her ear, and she'd swat him away with a bat of her hand, putting a single finger up to her rosy lips to shush him.

Evelyn looked at Nathan, confused to as why he stopped. The school was quiet, not a single thing to be heard except Nathan's steady breathing.

He ran a hand through his hair, sighed, and walked away. His eyes flicked to the side for the shortest of seconds, looking longingly at Evelyn. He shook his head and continued along.

"She's not there, Nathan." His words were silent, barely loud enough or Evelyn to hear. "She's gone. Get over it."

Alright guys, I know this isn't the best of chapters. :( It's basically a filler chapter, but I wrote this during NaNoWriMo, so please bare with me! The next chapter through is personally one of my favorites!!

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Whose your favorite character so far?

-Sophia ^_^