"How did Ane die?"
Aurelius was presented with the question, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to answer. After fiddling with his hands, he uttered, "in my childhood, I always wondered what happened to her. It was a surprise to hear she has passed..."
"Did you find the answer?"
"Unfortunately, yes, it was an accident involving Anna. They quarreled, you know how children can be petty sometime? Anna was jealous that her sister had something she did not."
Zubie spoke, "I can't believe it, she did that to her sister? And over a petty toy?"
"Yeah, how vicious," Aurelius lets out a snort, "blood over-weighs greed,"
"Right," Zubie fell silent, Aurelius noticed but did not comment. His statement holds an obvious validity from his experiences with the world as well as hers. After all, she was also given away when she was born in hopes of her having a better life. She cannot begin how thankful she was for Isabelle raising her. She uttered softly, " do you wanna know how I ended up with Isabelle?"
"if want to tell... Go ahead."
"Isabelle was in a medic camp that went to my parent's village, it was a time of a plague in that area. People were dying and more of starvation than the disease itself. My parents... They already had mouths to feed so they decided to leave me in the hospital. Isabelle took care of me. After some years, when they were well off, their conscience hits them and my father came to the city to look for the girl they abandoned. When they found Isabelle raising me, asked her to give their child back but she refused. They were given a big sum of money that outweighed their conscience and left me with Isabelle." she ended her story with a bitter quirk of eyebrows. Aurelius absorbed the information, weighing the words that he wanted to say but part of him ceased his intentions.
"I don't blame them, sometimes you make decisions that turn the course of life. Honestly, if I was still living with them, I don't think I would've gotten the education I did,"
"Your shortcomings change you, whether it's for better or worse,"
"You seem to have a lot of knowledge on the subject, I presume it's from your ghostly experiences?"
"Perhaps, wandering around the globe for decades does that to you," he told her, Zubie's eyes widening just a fraction at his words.
"decades?"
"Yes, decades,"
"How long has it been since you know what?"
Aurelius scratched his head, tilting his head to count on the pad of his fingers, "fifty-six or so years? I lost count after forty,"
"What?! I did not know you were that old?!" Aurelius raised a brow, Zubie realized her wordings were bizarre so she stuttered out an explanation, "well, I mean you are not old just... But your brother looks young for his age.
Is this why he has gray hair?"
"The gray hair is hereditary, and I reckon he looks young because... I don't know,"
"It could be because of magic?"
"Could be,"
_____________________________
"Hey, wake up! Zubie, wake up!" a voice yelled above her, she forced her sleepy eyes open with a visible effort. "there you are!" Abram was standing above her, with quirked brows as if he was dying to ask her something.
"What? What are you doing in my---"
"You are sleeping outside alone, with nothing but a blanket,"
"I was not alone, Aurelius was with me," she responded, pulling the warm blanket over her head.
"Who is Aurelius?"
"Damn," she realized her slip, she frantically yelled out, "Aurelius is my imaginary friend!"
"Zubie, are you serious? This is no time for jokes and what happened to your house?"
"A fire started the night prior and I escaped with my life,"
Abram kneeled in front of her, making her look at him, "you alright?"
"Yes, just a few mosquito bites here and there if you are wondering and a sore back because of sleeping on solid ground,"
"Alright, are you going to sit here forever? Or come with me?"
"With you? Where?"
"To check the fire damage,"
"Right, go ahead, my legs have still not waken up,"
Abram spoke, shaking his head, "you are not going to sit here outside, do you know how many venomous species of snakes just roam around this area?"
"They can bite me for all I care,"
Abram let out a jagged breath at her stubbornness, he declared, "if you are not going to stand up and walk, I'll have to force you to move,"
"Just so you know, I weigh more than look like I do,"
"We'll see about that,"
Abram forced her to stand up from the ground she was lying on with her blanket wrapped around herself like a cocoon. Zubie shrieked in protest but was soon picked up as a rolled rug.
"you sure are heavier than you look like,"
"I warned you, did I not!"
Abram chuckled, he placed her down once they were inside the little porch. She slapped his hands away, "don't ever pick me again!"
"Alright, I don't want a broken spine anyway,"
_______________________________
"I did not know the damage was this severe," with a solemn face, Zubie observed the interior. "if I had known it'll be this bad I would've tried to stop the fire from spreading,"
"And got yourself roasted?"
"Right, that's what I said," the grey-haired ghost was leaning by the doorway covered in soot. the other man couldn't see or hear him.
"where were you?"
"I'm right here? You alright, Zubie?"
"Not you, I was talking to my imaginary friend,"
"Aren't you too old to have an imaginary friend?" Abram spoke, and Aurelius smiled by his side. Zubie's venomous glare meets Abram's inquiring one.
"I was joking! Anyway, let's go downstairs,"
"Aren't you supposed to leave?" Aurelius asked as he followed the pair downstairs. He did not wish for them to be left alone.
"Aren't you supposed to not bother me when I'm around others?" she whispered, baring her teeth at the grey-haired ghost of a man.
"No, I don't remember having such conditions, and it is my house."
"Right, why are you being so difficult?"
Abram looked confused at her words, "Did I say something that offended you? Well, this stone floor is difficult little to no damage done to it by fire."
"I was not---"
"Let me guess, it's your imaginary friend?" Abram took steps towards her, gently grabbing her shoulders, "what's going on? Why are you acting so strange?"
"It's just... I'm anxious."
"I understand, you must be in stress. You should've called me as soon as the fire started, I might not be useful against fire but at least I could've shouldered your burdens,"
Zubie's mouth fell open at his confession, Aurelius rolled his eyes in the background, and she uttered, "you would do that?"
"For you, of course,"
"That's... That's nice of you,"
"Do you mind?" Abram held his arms for her to sink into. Zubie sunk into his warm embrace, "there there, you looked like you needed this,"
"I did, thanks,"
She appreciated the cozy feeling radiating from him, the one she has missed since Isabelle's death; the very feeling that felt like home. He smelled... nice, and the fragrance was minty and sweet. She buried her head in his shoulder.
On the other hand, the ghostly company looked at the pair. He didn't know what he felt as he watched them, but the one emotion he
did recognize; was the feeling of being left out. Zubie didn't even spare a glance his way.
Their little excursion was coming to an end.