The night stretched on endlessly. I lay curled up on my bed, staring at the ceiling, unable to shake the feeling that someone—or something—was watching us. Elias sat nearby, perched at the window, his dark eyes focused outside as if he expected the killer to emerge from the shadows at any moment.
I sighed and rolled onto my side, my tail twitching slightly against the blanket.
Yes, my tail.
It was something I'd tried to hide from Elias for the past few days, worried he'd think I was even stranger than I already felt. But keeping a secret from someone who trusted me with his life… it didn't sit right. And with everything happening—him telling me I was tethering him here, the strange connection we shared—I knew I couldn't keep hiding it forever.
Elias turned to glance at me. "You're restless."
I sat up, running a hand through my hair. "Yeah… hard to relax when someone's probably lurking around, planning to kill me."
His lips curved into a faint, reassuring smile. "He won't get to you. I won't let him."
There was something about the way he said it—so determined, so protective—that made my cheeks flush. I looked away, tugging my blanket higher. "Thanks. That's, uh… comforting."
Elias studied me for a long moment, as if sensing I had something on my mind. "You're hiding something."
My ears twitched before I could stop them. I froze, immediately pulling the blanket tighter.
His brow furrowed, his voice softening. "Rose?"
I groaned internally. How could I hide this any longer? He was already a ghost haunting my life, and now I was worried about judgment? Still, nerves twisted in my stomach.
"Okay," I muttered, hugging the blanket to my chest. "But don't freak out, okay? It's just… a little weird."
Elias tilted his head, curiosity flickering across his face. "I'm a ghost, Rose. I think I can handle weird."
"Fair point." I sighed and looked down, my fingers gripping the edge of the blanket tightly. "So, um… this might sound crazy, but…" I pulled back the blanket just enough to reveal my tail—soft and sleek, its fur a deep black that matched my hair.
Elias's eyes widened, and his mouth parted slightly, as if he wasn't sure whether to speak. Before he could say anything, I reached up and tugged at the hood of my hoodie, revealing my cat-like ears, which flicked forward nervously.
There. No going back now.
"I'm part cat," I said flatly, my face burning.
For a moment, Elias didn't say anything. He just stared at me, his expression unreadable. I wanted to disappear into the floor. Why had I thought this was a good idea?
Finally, Elias blinked and tilted his head again, his lips twitching into a small, uncertain smile. "Huh."
I scowled at him. "That's it? Just 'huh'?"
He let out a low, amused chuckle that sent shivers down my spine. "Sorry, I just wasn't expecting that. I thought you were going to tell me something horrible. Like… you were turning into the man who killed me or something."
I blinked at him, completely caught off guard. "What? No! Why would you even think that?"
Elias shrugged, the faintest grin on his lips. "I don't know. Life's been weird lately. But this? You being part cat?" He paused, his gaze softening as he looked at my ears and tail again. "It's not so strange, really."
I raised an eyebrow. "You're not freaked out?"
"No," he said softly. "It suits you."
I blinked at him, my cheeks growing even warmer. "Suits me?"
Elias nodded, his voice low and gentle. "It explains a lot, actually. You're curious, stubborn… but also quick to trust and care for others. Like a cat."
I opened my mouth to argue, but… he wasn't exactly wrong. I huffed and crossed my arms, my tail swishing behind me. "So you're just going to accept this without any questions?"
He smiled faintly. "Why wouldn't I? You accepted me—ghostly baggage and all."
That shut me up. I looked at him, my heart doing that weird, fluttering thing it had been doing a lot lately. Elias didn't look at me like I was some freak of nature. Instead, there was this quiet awe in his expression, like I'd just revealed something beautiful instead of something strange.
"Besides," he added, leaning back against the window frame, "it makes you even more unique. I like that."
I didn't know how to respond to that, so I just stared down at my hands, my tail curling around my side as if to hide my nerves. "Thanks… I guess."
He chuckled again, and the sound warmed something in my chest. I risked a glance at him, only to find him still watching me, his expression soft and thoughtful.
"Rose," he said quietly.
"Yeah?"
"I don't care what you are. You're… important to me. More than I realized."
The words hit me harder than I expected. I looked up at him, my breath catching in my throat. For a moment, I saw something in his dark eyes—something deep and unspoken, like he was trying to tell me more than his words could convey.
"You're important to me too," I admitted softly.
The air between us shifted, heavy and warm. Elias's gaze lingered on me for what felt like forever, his expression unreadable but… hopeful. I felt like I was falling, my heart pounding in my chest.
Finally, he looked away, clearing his throat as if breaking whatever spell had fallen over us. "You should rest. I'll keep watch."
I nodded, my cheeks still warm as I lay back down. My tail curled up beside me, twitching faintly as I stared at the ceiling, my mind spinning.
Elias cared about me. Really cared.
And no matter how strange it was—me being part cat, him being a ghost—I couldn't help but feel like we were being pulled together by something bigger than either of us.
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End of Chapter