"What are we going to do today?" I asked Kindle during breakfast. Today marked my sixth day here in the Shadow Realm. Tomorrow, it would be a week and I would be that much closer to going home to Elle.

"I was just getting to that," Kindle said, setting down his glass. It was water, Faye still hadn't gone shopping yet. "We won't be doing any training today, actually."

I tilted my head, a smile beginning to form on my lips. "So... we have a day off?"

Kindle shook his head. "You have a day off," He stood, taking both of our bowls and walking them to the sink. "I still have to work. Seraphim's got a job for me."

"What will I do?" I blurted. My face twisted into an expression of confusion at my automatic reaction. Had I really become so dependent on Kindle in the short amount of time I'd been here? It appeared so.

Kindle laughed, "Do whatever you want, as long as it won't get you killed."

"I'm allowed to just roam the castle without you?"

"Depends. Will you trip and fall down a flight of stairs? Will you swan-dive from one of the turrets into the moat?" Kindle asked, his expression serious.

"No." I replied with a roll of my eyes. "I may be the most graceless dancer in existence, but I do have the ability to walk."

Kindle raised an eyebrow, glancing pointedly at the nearly six-inch high heels that adorned my feet.

I bit my lip. "I'll just avoid staircases," I said sheepishly, "and turrets."

"You could always go and visit Faye," Kindle suggested, holding a hand out to me. I look it and allowed him to help me to my feet. I may have gotten a bit better at walking with heels, but I still felt better with Kindle supporting me. "I'm sure she's finished more dresses by now."

"Alright," I smiled. The prospect of getting another dress excited me. Currently, I had only two-- the one with the little flowers, and a simple periwinkle one with lace sleeves-- that I alternated wearing each day. Today was a periwinkle day.

"Would you like me to drop you off at Faye's now, or do you want to go back to the room first?" Kindle asked as we walked at a steady pace down the hall. Thankfully I wasn't as wobbly as I had been when Faye first gave me the shoes.

"You're leaving already?" I looked over at him, surprised. I had expected us to have at least a little while to talk before he was whisked away to do whatever task it was Seraphim had assigned him.

"I'll apparently have to travel quite a distance," Kindle explained, "Seraphim said it would be best for me to leave as soon as I could if I wanted to make it back before midnight."

"Oh," I said, still wondering why that bothered me so much.

Kindle was apparently wondering the same thing. "Is it a problem?" He asked, his tone laced with amusement, as he gave me a sidelong glance. "Being away from me?"

"No." I replied quickly, sort of defensively. Was it problem? "I just... don't feel safe here."

"You'll be safe, trust me." Kindle assured me. We were silent for a moment, then Kindle added, "Have you decided yet? Room or Faye's?"

"Room," I answered. "If I have a day off, I might as well take the opportunity to sleep."

Kindle laughed, "Sleep? Blondie, it's nearing twelve in the afternoon." Despite his poking fun at me, he still turned us in the direction of the room.

"Laugh if you want, but you fail to understand that being brought here has completely disrupted my regular sleep pattern," I informed him. "On a regular weekend, I wouldn't be going to sleep until around three or four in the morning, and then I would usually wake up at around two in the afternoon."

Kindle raised an eyebrow skeptically. "So... you'd stay up longer than necessary— or healthy, might I add— and then proceed to sleep the day away?" When he put it like that, it did seem kind of stupid. "What could possibly cause you to feel the need to stay up that late?"

"Video games." I responded, feeling the need to defend myself. "Lots of people get really into them, so it's not only me."

"What's a video game?" Kindle asked.

If I had been drinking coffee, this was where the cliché spit-take scene would go. "What's a video game?" I repeated, shocked. "Skyrim? Final Fantasy? Shad..." I was about to say Shadows of Light but something told me that telling Kindle about the game in which he was a character would not be a wise decision. "Shadow of the Colossus?"

Kindle shook his head. "Never heard of them. Something tells me we don't have them in this realm."

Good lord, how did they survive without video games! "So let me get this straight: You have skinny jeans and Lucky Charms..."

"Casimir Candy Crisps," Kindle corrected.

"Whatever. Lucky Charms." I shrugged, not letting him get me off topic. "How do you not have video games?"

"No idea," Kindle shrugged as well, "But if they keep people up until the early morning they aren't a good thing to have anyway."

I opened my mouth but then snapped it closed again. He had a point. After a moment of thinking, I came up with a valid argument. "But with video games I get to experience adventures."

"So you pretend to have life experiences instead of going out into the world and having real ones?"

Again, he had a valid point, and I was beginning to get upset. How dare he ruin games for me? Video games had been my life since I was thirteen, and now he was making them sound like a waste of time! "You don't understand!" I insisted, "video games provide adventures I can't have in the real world— I get to travel, be a hero, slay dragons!"

Kindle flinched and stopped walking. I was caught off guard, nearly tripping over my unnecessarily high shoes. "If that's what you deem a game, than I assure you I would never play." His tone was hard, and when I looked at him his oddly colored eyes seemed to blaze brighter. He was angry, like really angry, for the first time since I'd come here. "And if those things make you a hero, you can bet I wouldn't be one." He snapped. He started walking again, faster now, and I stumbled trying to keep up with him.

What had I said wrong?

Kindle seemed to have settled a bit by the time we reached the room. He was still silent, but his expression was once again calm. I was thinking about apologizing, but I had no idea what to apologize for.

I walked to the bed and sat down, taking off my shoes. I didn't look up at Kindle or say anything, afraid I'd just make it worse.

However, Kindle broke the silence for me. "You'll probably be asleep by the time I get back," I heard his footsteps approach me, I still kept my eyes on the floor. "So I'll see you tomorrow, 'kay Blondie?" Suddenly his hand was on my hair, and he ruffled it gently.

"Bye," I called after him, finally feeling the need to speak.

He smiled at me before exiting the room. Whatever it was I said to make him unhappy, I seemed to have been forgiven. I smiled, even though now I was alone. I crawled up the bed and curled myself under the blankets to sleep, but after laying there for a moment I realized sleep would not be an option, my mind was racing. I wanted to know what in my sentence made Kindle so upset so that I could be sure never to say it again.

Was it the mention of adventures? If my theory is true, he's been trapped here as an orphan since he was a child, so adventures were probably slim. Was it the word hero? I know in the game he's considered a villain— after all, I have to continuously remind myself that he's the one who killed me— but does he see himself as a villain?

Maybe it was the mention of slaying dragons... but I had no theory as to why that would upset him. There were no dragons in the game, and when I'd last spoken to Faye, the day I picked up my periwinkle dress, I'd asked her to tell me about the creature of this realm. There were Mermaids, which Faye was, and Fairies, which Lydia was (no surprise there), and Seraphim was something called an Angel— though Faye had to explain to me what an Angel was in this world, because the immediate image I got of Seraphim with pretty white wings and a glittery halo was hilarious— Faye never once mentioned anything about dragons.

I rolled over with a sigh. What was I supposed to do? Sleep was obviously out of the equation, I had no tv, no motivation to go hunting for the library Kindle claimed was somewhere in this castle, and no one to talk to. I refused to go see Faye already; after all, I had made Kindle walk me back here. I stared at the multitude of cracks in the stone ceiling, turning them into pictures in my mind. When I began to see a unicorn and a koala battling over a taco, I gave up and rolled onto my side again.

Suddenly, in the room I was positive I was alone in, a male voice spoke. "I hate to tell you this dear, but you're rather boring."

With a yelp of fear, I shot straight up in bed, scanning the room quickly. It was still empty. Unsure what was going on, I spoke. "H-hello? Is someone there?" I felt extremely stupid, because I could clearly see there was no one.

Despite the room being empty, a voice did reply. "That depends," the voice said, "If I say yes, will you stop staring at the ceiling and actually do something?"

"...Yes." That 'doing something' would be screaming at the top of my lungs. I pulled my legs up close to myself at the top of the bed, glancing around warily for the source of the voice.

"If you scream," the voice threatened, "I swear I will smack you."

I bit my lip and nodded.

All of a sudden, a man (who was in serious need of a haircut), materialized in the chair Kindle usually occupied. He appeared to be about Kindle's age, maybe a bit older, and his blondish-red hair hung down to his hips. He was pale, almost translucent, and his grey eyes were piercing.

Though I agreed not to scream, I couldn't fight the involuntary reaction to someone poofing into existence, and opened my mouth to release what would be a blood-curdling scream.

In the blink of an eye, the strange man had crossed the room and was directly in my face. "Don't. Scream." He repeated.

The scream died in my throat and I sat there for a second, staring at the strange man in open-mouthed terror.

"What's the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost." The man laughed, casually making his way back to the chair. "That was a bad pun, sorry, Kindle's not a fan of my humor either."

"Who are you?" I asked nervously once I could trust myself to speak without screaming... or bursting into tears.

"Oh, where are my manners? I'm Carlyle, a friend of Kindle's. He asked me to look after you today, but he never mentioned you were this boring." The man, Carlyle, explained. "And you're Maggie, correct?"

I nodded.

"Oh, relax will you?" Carlyle sighed, "I can't actually smack you. My hand would go right through!"

"So... you're a ghost?" I asked, my voice trembling.

"That is correct." Carlyle nodded. He didn't seem particularly bothered by this fact.

"That means you're dead?" I questioned, trying to gain clarification.

"That's usually a given if someone's a ghost, correct?" Carlyle raised an eyebrow. He had a point.

I sat there for a moment, trying to calm my nerves and gather my thoughts. And here I thought meeting a mermaid had been strange. "Kindle told you to look after me?"

"Yeah, he was worried you'd find some way to get yourself killed. Not the most coordinated, I take it?" Carlyle said, smiling.

"It's the shoes," I grumbled defensively.

"Sure, sure," Carlyle replied. "Now can we please go visit Faye or something?"

"Um, okay, sorry." I stood up off the bed and pulled the heels back on. I wasn't quite sure how I felt about the ghost, but he was Kindle's friend, so he wasn't going to hurt me. At least, I hoped not.

Luckily, Carlyle knew where he was going and it was an easy trip to Faye's room. Faye was applying the finishing touches to a new gown when I entered.

"Hi Faye, oh my gosh, that blue!" I gasped when I saw the gown.

"You like it?" Faye smiled, "It's going to be your first real ball gown. I've taken an old pair of heels and beaded them in blue to go along with it."

"You are so amazing," I gushed, "Truly, Faye. Your work is stunning."

"Thanks," Faye blushed, forcing more hair out of her eyes. "Oh and Maggie? How did you find your way here? I could have come get you if I knew you'd be walking here alone."

"Oh, I was okay. I had help from," I looked up at Faye, and Carlyle stood behind her, shaking his head no. "Kindle." I corrected myself. Apparently Carlyle didn't want Faye knowing about him. "He gave me directions before he left."

"Well, that's good." Faye smiled. "Would you like to come with me to the market? I suppose it's time I buy groceries."

"Yes please!" I agreed. I was excited for a chance to actually get outside. This castle was unfortunately lacking in windows, and fresh air seemed like the greatest thing in the world at the moment.

"Alright, let's go." Faye chirped, "I'm just going to change quick and then we can head out." Faye skipped into the back room with a bundle of clothing.

Carlyle watched her go, shaking his head sadly. "How she's able to remain so optimistic after all she's been through is beyond me."

"What do you mean?" I asked, "What has she been through?"

"I don't know if I should tell you. Her life is her business." Carlyle said with a shrug.

"Why didn't you want her to know about you?" I continued. I had so many questions.

"Like I said, she's been through enough." Carlyle sighed, "Faye was a good friend of mine. If she knew I was unable to move on, and that I died because of her, she would be crushed."

Died because of her? "Carlyle, what do you mean? How did you—"

I didn't get to finish my question, because Faye came back into the room then. She was wearing a simple green dress with a pleated bottom, and a long black hooded cloak over it. "Here Maggie, this cloak is for you." She said, holding out a second one.

"Thanks," I said, taking the cloak. I glanced over at where Carlyle had been standing a moment earlier only to find the space empty. He'd poofed away again.

I put the cloak on, tying it around my neck.

"It's kind of chilly out, so keep the hood up." Faye insisted, pulling up her own as she spoke.

The three of us— well, I assumed three, because I was pretty sure Carlyle was just invisible— made our way down corridor after corridor, traveling into an area that was unfamiliar to me. That's because the last time you were here you were unconscious, my thoughts reminded me. Faye led me down a flight of stairs and out a door.

I had to shield my eyes when we got outside, it was just so bright! When my eyes adjusted, I looked around. The few clusters of leaves that remained on the trees and the piles that littered the ground were a bright orange. "What month is it?" I asked.

"November," Faye replied, "Early November. I assume it's the same where you are from."

"Yes, I think it is," I nodded. I wasn't entirely sure. Everything was so different in this realm.

"My birthday is in nine days." Faye reminded me as we walked down the winding path that would lead to the nearest village. "My friend Selena is insisting on throwing me a party, I hope you'll go to it." She looked at me hopefully.

"Of course I will," I smiled. Or at least, I hoped I'd be able to. Kindle would let me end practice early that day to attend Faye's party, wouldn't he?

"Good," Faye smiled, absentmindedly twisting her bracelet in circles.

The bracelet caught my eye for the first time, and I realized it was just a simple brass button on a ribbon. "What's that?" I asked her, hoping I wasn't getting too personal.

"Oh, nothing really." Faye shrugged, dropping her eyes to the leaf-strewn ground. "It belonged to... a boy. Just a boy from my childhood. It was ages ago now, but I like to keep it for sentimental value."

"I see." We walked the rest of the way in silence, and I wondered if that boy was maybe Carlyle? Something told me it wasn't, but it was a reasonable theory.

We reached the village much quicker than I thought we would, and I was surprised to see how populated it was. People of all kinds— some dressed in gowns and suits, others wearing simple sweaters and jeans— bustled around the little market place. There were stands selling food, and fabrics, and even art supplies. There was a blacksmith, and oddly enough a shoe store that looked remarkably similar to Payless in the mall.

"Wow." I breathed, completely in awe of everything around me. It was as if a renaissance fair had set up camp in the middle of a shopping mall, modern mixing with old-fashioned in a strangely beautiful combination.

"Cool, right?" Faye giggled, "I remember the first time I saw this town. I was only seven and it was my first time on land. I couldn't really appreciate it much then, but now I love it."

"I wish we had shops like this in my town. If that were the case, maybe I would go outside more." I laughed.

"Well, take your time to wander around. Just don't go with any strangers, if someone offers you a free sample of anything don't take it, and meet me back here when you're ready to leave." Faye said, pulling a list from a pocket I didn't know she had. "I'm going to pick up the groceries. I'll see you soon." And then she was off into the crowd, and I was all alone.

The thought occurred to me that I could very easily follow the path back to the castle, make a slight turn to the left, and be at the door. I could have been back with Elle by that night if I wanted to. And oh lord, I wanted to. But at the same time, some tiny part of me didn't want to just abandon Kindle like that. Or Faye.

"The door's locked, anyway." Carlyle spoke suddenly, and I yelped, jumping in surprise.

"Did you just read my mind?" I gasped, looking at the ghost.

"No, but it wasn't too hard to guess, judging from the 'oh woe is me,' angsty look on your face." Carlyle explained, laughing.

I focused on making my face as steady and unreadable as possible. I wasn't in the mood for teasing, actually I had some very important questions. "Carlyle, can you tell me how you died?" I asked, my voice low just in case anyone was close enough to hear me.

Carlyle's smile faded. "Maggie, I don't think you need to know."

"But you said it had something to do with Faye. Does it have something to do with that button she's wearing?" I pressed.

"Maggie..."

"Please, just tell me!" I shouted.

A few villagers shot me dirty looks as the passed by, and no doubt to them it looked like I was yelling at empty air. I glared back until they looked away and went about their business.

"Alright, alright." Carlyle sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He was clearly upset. "Fine. I'll show you. But don't get used to it, because this will be the last time." Slowly, he reached his hand out toward me.

I stepped back. "What are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm going to show you what you want to know. How I died, and what the button means to Faye, how all of us met, everything." He reached his hand out again. "This is something spirits can do. I'm going to briefly link our souls, so I can show you my memories." And then he touched my forehead. It felt strange, not like a physical touch, but like a cool breeze concentrated in one location. There was a bright flash of light, and I closed my eyes.