It's not wet anymore. Has it stopped raining? For a moment, I think it might be daytime because it's warm, but then I realise everything is dark so that can't be right. Or are my eyes just closed? I can't remember. God, I feel tired.

"Felix?" There's a voice, but it's not Annabel's and it's not the spirit's. "Hey, can you hear me? Felix?"

Carmen? I try to shift my body up, only to realise I'm half-smothered in something. What the hell? My eyes are droopy, but I force them open. Blankets. I'm smothered in blankets; a mountain of them. I think I'm on a sofa. Footsteps near me, and I turn my eyes towards the sound to see Carmen approaching me. She sits down beside me, but I'm not sure what on. Why can't I focus properly?

"What? Are we in Ava's house?" I manage to say. "I can't--I don't remember how--What happened?"

As I sit up, I realise I'm not on a sofa. I'm in a large double bed, and Carmen is sitting on the unoccupied side next to me. She's biting her lip.

"You disappeared," she explains. "We--we tried calling you, but you weren't answering, and it was pouring with rain and I was worried you'd gone outside because of what happened and gotten lost, and--sorry, I'm rambling, I just--Jesus, I was so worried." She lets out a breath. "We found you passed out just off the road about twenty minutes away, and you were freezing. We couldn't get you to wake up for ages, you weren't responding to anything." Carmen's voice cracks a little. "When you did come to, you were confused. You kept mumbling something about a man following you and..." She hesitates. "Your parents, and something to do with ghosts."

"Hey, maybe one of Ava's ghosties possessed me," I joke, but quickly get the impression now's not the time.

"The girl who'd found you didn't have a phone with her," Carmen continues, ignoring my poor attempt at humour. "So I called Mosi and Ava to come pick you up. They were--They'd been driving around looking for you."

"Oh," I reply simply. "I mean, sorry for doing that, I didn't--I don't know what happened, I can't remember anything," I say, half lying.

"We're pretty sure you were hypothermic, or at least getting there, hence the..." she nods at the blankets stacked on top of me. "Your clothes are in the wash, by the way."

I hadn't even noticed I wasn't wearing them. I shove myself out of the blankets a little further, removing all but one completely because it's kind of boiling, and can finally take in my surroundings properly. I've never been in this room before--it must be a guest bedroom or something. It's decorated much like the rest of the house, in an old-fashioned but perfectly kept style.

"Thanks," I finally say. "For finding me and, y'know, preventing my death. Mind you, I'm a bit of a ball ache, so it could've been a blessing in disguise. I'll hide a little better next time, eh?" I joke again, but receive an even more unimpressed look from Carmen than before, so follow it with a "I'm only joking, sorry, I didn't mean to scare you like that."

Carmen shakes her head. "Thank the girl who called me over to you. I never would've found you in the first place otherwise."

"Who was that?"

"I'm not sure, I think she's on your course," Carmen replies. "She said she'd been to the party anyway. A girl called Annabel?"

"Pardon?"

"Annabel? She said she knew you from uni. She lives in one of the houses around here, said she spotted you on her way home from the party."

Carmen keeps talking, but I zone out completely. What the actual shitting hell? I ask Carmen if she's sure, to which she nods. I ask her what she looked like. Long, dark brown hair, blue eyes, and wearing a pair of dark jeans with a velvet jumper. I gaze at Carmen, and I'm completely gormless. I don't--How can--What? She described Annabel perfectly. It was Annabel. She saw Annabel.

"Are you okay? Let me fetch you a hot drink," Carmen says as concern returns to her soft face, probably at the sight of what my own face is doing right now.

Before I can even try to conjure up words, she's left the room, and the sound of footsteps echo through the hallway outside. I scan the room like a crazed animal, but there's no sign of my sister anywhere. I call her name, but hear no response. Is she okay? Am I still asleep? Am I dreaming all this? I don't have much time to ponder because before long, Carmen returns with a mug in her hands.

"What time is it?" I ask as I take it from her. It's hot chocolate. Score.

Carmen takes her phone out of her pocket, and glances at it. "About three."

"In the morning?"

She laughs a little, and I can't begin to explain how good it is to hear a laugh that makes me feel better, not worse. "Yes, in the morning."

"Oh, what--Why are you up? Aren't you tired?"

"Couldn't really sleep. I think I was just worried about you," she replies as her familiar smirk spreads onto her face. "Even if you are a cheating arsehole."

"I didn't--I mean, I--"

"Sh, it's fine," Carmen replies, waving her hand in the air. "Katie explained it. I think she felt bad because she thought it was the cause of your suicide mission."

To be fair, it pretty much was, but I'm too embarrassed to say that out loud. Instead, I reply with an awkward nod. Perfect response. Well done, mate.

As I take a sip out of the hot chocolate Carmen made me, I feel something nudge my leg, and look up to see Annabel. She's gazing at me, wide-eyed. Oh good, she's okay. I flip my eyes to Carmen as subtly as possible in hope of an explanation of how the hell she could see my sister, and Annabel shrugs with the most clueless expression I've ever seen appear on her face.

"Uh, you okay?" Carmen asks, reminding me of where I am.

I turn to her, and she's staring straight in the direction of Annabel. Well, she obviously can't see her anymore.

"Yeah, sorry, I feel a bit out of it."

Carmen smiles. She stretches her legs out on the bed, the slides down a little so that she's lying on her back. She turns her head, which is now level with mine, and sighs.

"I don't know if I've ever told you this, but you do some really weird shit sometimes."

I laugh, relieved that the atmosphere has relaxed a bit. "Well, I can't argue that."

She responds with her airy giggle, while her eyes remain on my face. They move around slightly, as if scanning every corner of it. Annabel has sat down on the end of the bed now, and she's oddly silent. Her eyes aren't focused on anything, and she looks as though her entire world has been split open. Rather ironically, she kind of looks like she's seen a ghost.

"What's wrong?" Carmen's voice catches me surprise. She's still looking at me, except the smile on her face has vanished.

"Huh? Nothing, I'm cool."

Suddenly, a loud sigh emanates from the end of the bed. It's nice to see Annabel's returned to the present.

"Don't try to bullshit me, I know something's up," Carmen replies. "You've barely left the flat since exams ended, you've been acting way more reserved than usual, and you almost just got yourself killed trying to walk five miles in the pouring rain in the middle of the night, so if you even try to bullshit me, I will grab your clothes from the utility room right now and strangle you with your own shitty t-shirt."

"Graphic," I mutter in response, but Carmen's face stays stern. I sigh. "It's just a rough patch. Exams went shit, uni's generally stressing me out, y'know, just that kind of stuff. I'm fine."

Carmen nods. "Hm, okay. Would you rather be strangled by your shirt or belt? I imagine a shirt will be less painful."

Annabel laughs, and if Carmen's eyes weren't locked to my face right now, I'd probably give her the dirtiest look possible. Or throw something at her. Not that there'd be much point in that, but it helps release anger. Carmen opens her mouth to speak again, but it takes a few seconds for her to speak.

"Is it to do with your accident?" She stammers slightly. "I mean, it's just I know everyone going home for Christmas sucked for you, and I know you said it doesn't bother you, but it just seems like since then you've been... off. I just--I get it if you don't want to talk about that stuff with me, but please talk about it with someone."

"It's not--I..." Great explanation there, Felix.

Carmen's eyebrows are furrowed, and there's a hint of desperation on her face, and I don't know why, but I feel guilty.

"You don't..." She bites her lip. Her eyes close for a moment. "You don't blame yourself for any of what happened, right? Or feel bad about surviving it? I know that's the most stereotypical assumption ever, but I just... I don't know, talk to me?"