Out of the Darkness

93 Anna's POV

"Then you and Sam can go on your little romantic date, just the two of you, while the rest of us decorate and get ready for the party here," Colby recited. Kat nodded and clapped her hands excitedly. "Ugh, he's going to love this! Thank you for your help Colby. I really appreciate it." He grinned and shook his head. "No thanks needed. You know I'd do anything for Sam, and for you." She smiled back, then leaned towards him and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. He rubbed her back and caught my eyes in his. I watched something grow in them, a blue fire burning just below the surface. He leaned back, away from Katrina and smiled at her. "You set your alarm just to get up before Sam huh? What if I hadn't been awake? You know I don't usually wake up this early." She stood up and grinned down at him. "Didn't care. Was gonna wake you. This is important!" He rolled his eyes with a smile, and stood up next to her. "Yeah, so important that it couldn't have waited until later." She nodded. "That's right. Sam would've been up later and it would've been harder to hide. You know he always figures it out. I want it to really be a surprise this year." He walked her to the door, while I stayed seated on the couch. Kat turned back after Colby opened his bedroom door for her. "It was nice seeing you again Anna. I hope you stick around." She smiled and waved, the winked at Colby before walking out. Colby shook his head, and closed the door, before turning back to me. "So...where were we?" he asked, walking back to the couch. "I don't remember actually," I replied, leaning my head back on the couch. He sat down next to me, closer than before, our thighs touching. I closed my eyes and sighed, before I willed myself transparent again. "Anna, is there something going on that I need to know about?" I opened my eyes and met his gaze. "No. Everything is fine. It's just tiring remaining solid. It drains me. I can't keep it up for long," I lied. After being in the darkness, I knew that I could remain solid for long periods of time. I don't know how I knew but I did. It was like She had given me the strength but didn't want me to use it. I felt like She was testing me but I didn't understand why. What was so special about me? I had seen all of the other souls that she had captured. She had hundreds, probably thousands, depending on how long she had been alive. Usually, a soul that was present in the Darkness with me, would eventually disappear. They never stayed long. What did she do with them? "Okay," he replied. "But can you become solid later? I would just really like to hold you for a little while. I've missed you." Dang it. I really shouldn't...but I nodded. "Yeah, of course. If I can. I've missed you too," I replied. He smiled, then reached for his phone. "I need to get started reserving these places for Sam's birthday, but I want to talk to you more about what happened while you were gone. If you remember anything, let me know, okay?" I nodded, knowing that I wasn't going to tell him what She had said. There was no way. She was watching me. If I told Colby, then he would start trying to figure out a way to beat her. Then She would snatch me away again. I nervously chewed my nails, as I watched him make his phone calls. "This is so bogus," I said to myself. Colby looked up quizzically. I shook my head at him. There was no way around this. I had to follow Her rules. I had no choice in the matter at all. She had made sure of that. I thought I heard a distant giggle in my head, and I instinctively knew it was Her. She was watching now, listening to my thoughts. Even my own head wasn't safe. "Ugh!" I groaned, sinking down into the couch, and covering my face with one of Colby's gray furry pillows. A few minutes later, I felt someone lift the pillow away from me, and I looked up and met his eyes. "Anna, what's wrong? I can tell something is going on. I'm not blind. So, tell me." I shook my head and scooted up on the couch. "Nothing." He sighed heavily and sat down next to me. "Stop lying to me, at least." I bit my lip, feeling those stupid ghostly tears spring to my eyes. If I were a ghost, shouldn't I be able to control human emotions. I hastily wiped them from my face as they spilled over my lids. "I'm fine, Colby. There's just some things going on that I can't talk about." His eyes turned sympathetic and he sat next to me, moving his leg so that it just barely went through my knee. I wanted to sob. "You know you can tell me anything, right? I don't know how to help you, if you don't talk to me." I nodded, and bit my lip. "I know, but you don't understand. I can't talk about it. You can't help me. This is it. This is what I get. My life as a ghost. Nothing more, but it's better than nothing, I guess." His brow creased as he watched me play with the fabric of his pillow. "You're right. I don't understand. Is there a reason that you can't talk about whatever it is?" I looked in straight in the eye and said nothing, willing him to understand that I was being watched, that we were being watched. He stared back for a moment, then nodded. "Okay. If this is how you want it, then I guess there's nothing more to say about whatever it is. I'm going to finish my calls." He gave me a meaningful look, but I had no idea what the meaning behind it was, before he got up and walked back over to his bed. I wanted to scream, to rage at him, at the Darkness. At anyone.