Girl In The Red Coat

want this moment to end. Even if this place was not where we needed to stay, I was glad to have Ben there with me at this moment in time and to not be so alone. I wanted him to kiss me, I wanted to be with Ben whether it was real or not, if it was our world or the spirit world, he was going to be the first guy I ever properly developed a relationship with, I wanted him to be my first. I tilted my head back to look right into his face. He was gazing into my eyes and he had such a smile that it made me go weak at the knees. I had no idea why one moment I was caring so much for Daniel then the next it was Ben, but both seemed to be playing hard to get. He did not move in to kiss me. Then he broke from our embrace and he just ran away. I shouted after him.

‘Ben! What are you doing? Please come back! Please don’t run away from me!’

I dropped to my knees onto the wet, cold and snowy ground. I could not understand why one moment he was caring and affectionate towards me then suddenly just vanished. I let the tears fall down my face, then a feeling of anger hit me. What goes through a guy’s head? Why do guys play so hard to get? Letting out an almighty scream, I screamed so high and so hard that I felt the veins through my body tighten and surface, I screamed that much that I struggled to breathe, then became light-headed and collapsed further into the snowy ground. I just wanted to be swallowed up. I didn’t care right now if I was to be taken onto the spirit world. I closed my eyes and just waited to see what would happen next.

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The next time I opened my eyes I was back in my room at my Grandparent’s house. Had I been in that other room at all or was that part of my dream? Climbing out of bed I looked at my phone. I had messages from my Mum asking how I was doing and if I was any better. There were also messages from Daniel apologising for leaving me when I was sick and then a message from a number that was not recognised on my phone. It was from someone saying they were sorry, sorry for everything. I chose not to respond back to anyone for the time being as my head still felt fuzzy from having slept so much. Then there was a knock on the door.

‘Grace, are you awake?’

‘Yes Grandma, I’m awake.’

‘Can I come in, please?’

‘Yes, you may enter.’

Grandma opened the bedroom door without the sound of a creak, a deep look of concern on her face. Again, it struck me how young she looked. There were hardly any lines, wrinkles or crow’s feet upon her face. Her skin looked fresh, clean and silky all the time but she never had much colour on her cheeks; she was just pale, like snow. She sat on the edge of my bed and I slowly sat up to face her properly. I could tell there was something on her mind, like she wanted to tell me something but was unsure how to. I placed my unbrushed hair behind my ears to help me focus on what she was about to say to me. She looked around the room first of all, I think she knew I was a bit of a typical teenager as there were things around my room that looked untidy and out of place, even my clothes I had last worn were scattered on the floor. I felt quite embarrassed about the state of the room, so I started to bring myself up off the bed. I thought it would be a struggle, but all my strength had again returned to me. I felt like my own self again, ready to be up and about, no longer drained or weak. I got the feeling that my Grandma coming into the room had injected me with energy, as crazy as that might sound.

‘Grace, I am sorry to sound like your mother, but you really need to be careful with yourself. Every time you take the shortcut to college you come back home really sick, you must be allergic to something down there.’

Her voice sounded straight to the point, but there was something else. I got the feeling that she was trying to hide another theory she might have as to why this alleyway made me so unwell. The text from Florence, my ancestor’s journal, flooded my mind. An old railway walkway… Strange things happening to Constantine and Magnus… a mysterious stranger they met who looked to be a Native American.

‘Gran? Is it ok if I read Florence’s journal again? I am feeling a little bit better and fancy reading something. I didn’t bring any books with me from home.’ I pretended as if I was simply trying to change the conversation.

My Gran’s worried expression started to turn into a smile. I suppose she was relieved to hear me say I felt better.

‘Of course, I will fetch it for you. Oh, your teacher, Miss Hogg, she phoned me this morning just checking in to see how you are. She has kindly offered to give up her free time this weekend to have a one-on-one tutorial session to catch you up. She mentioned something about a project for the upcoming Christmas show.’

This news made me feel even better. It was so lovely of Miss Hogg to offer this. Even though I’d only had one lesson with her before getting poorly, I was determined to ensure I was going to put on an amazing routine for the show. I smiled.

‘I gather as you are starting to feel well,