I jumped and backed away from the ghost until my back hit the door.
Seeing the shocked, wide-eyed, open-mouthed expression on my face, the ghost stood up and held up his hands to reassure me. "It's okay! It's just me, Your Highness." He slowly stepped towards me with his palms open.
"Elliot?" I whispered.
He nodded and smiled, standing still as I tentatively reached out a hand and grazed the tips of my fingers against his face. His skin was cold to the touch due to the chill, but he definitely wasn't a ghost.
I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him to make extra sure that he was real. His already pink nose turned a deeper shade after I pulled away to stare at him again. "You're alive? B–but how?" I stammered.
"Yes, I was fortunate to survive. I'm so happy you and the captain did too…" Elliot trailed off and looked away uneasily at the mention of his captain.
"Where's Luca?! I need to see him! Is he okay? Please take me to him!"
