Wind chimes sang in the light breeze. Flowers decorated the windows and the curtains were pulled wide open. It was astounding how different the red brick house appeared this afternoon compared to when Jordan recorded his very first podcast episode outside its shut blinders. Araminta's house was once again a home. The early summer warmth had made roses sprout, creating a welcoming floral scent. While the garden had remained well-kept in her absence—because her parents wanted it to remain as their daughter left it in case she returned—now, it was also full of life.

Kiki greeted Jordan when he rounded the corner, heading toward the backyard. Since Araminta's return, the cat had split her time between the neighboring houses, taking advantage of all the amenities and probably eating both second and third breakfast daily. Suffice to say, the arrangement worked out for Kiki.

"Jordan!" Araminta sat curled up in a hammock on the patio, a well-thumbed book in her lap. In black braids and a high-collared lace dress, she was definitely channeling Wednesday Addams. But while her style may be as dark as before, her demeanor had been lighter since her return to the human world six weeks ago. "I didn't know you would be around today. I thought you would be busy preparing for your internship."

After his podcast had reached a modicum level of virality, a local radio station contacted Jordan, asking if he was interested in interning with them over the summer. He would probably mostly be expected to fetch coffee and print documents. Maybe if he was lucky, he would earn the honor of transcribing old content. But it was still an opportunity he couldn't turn down. Even if it meant he'd spent most of the summer away from his childhood home and Araminta since the radio station was located in Portland. Which was also where Derek lived, which was a plus.

His boyfriend Derek. Jordan had never thought he would have a boyfriend, or a girlfriend for that matter. It wasn't the queerness of the relationship that shocked him but the fact that he'd managed to connect with someone on that level.

"I'm never too busy for you, Araminta. I wanted to come by to surprise you." Jordan took a seat beside his friend, while Kiki placed herself between them—an optimal position to be petted from both sides. "I was in town already since I had an appointment at the hospital to get my cast off," he explained, showcasing his now free arm.

"I don't think I ever told you how truly sorry I am that you hurt yourself while looking for me." Araminta patted Jordan's shoulder.

Jordan shrugged. "It was a worthy sacrifice," he said, smiling toward his friend. "And I just need some physiotherapy and it'll be as good as new." He waved his hand to showcase how well his wrist worked, ignoring the strain the movement caused him.

"I suppose we shouldn't tell the realtor what a hazard those stairs are..." Araminta nodded toward the inside of the house.

"Realtor?" Jordan asked, furrowing his brow.

"Yeah, my parents have talked about selling the house. They are comfortable in their other house and since I'm back now, they don't see a reason to keep both houses."

Jordan had wondered if something like this was in the works since he'd rarely seen Araminta's parents around since her return. Mostly, it was just Araminta who lived there. He wasn't privy to what she'd told her family about her whereabouts during the last two years but it seemed there still was a divide between them. Although, he had seen Christine—together with her twins, who Darcy quickly had befriended—around several times as well as other siblings, so perhaps it was just Araminta's parents who couldn't quite reconnect with their daughter.

"And what do you feel about that?" Jordan asked. "This is your home."

"My home can be anywhere," Araminta replied. "If I feel truly lost, I can always find Esme in the woods. And I know your family will always welcome me with open arms if I want to come back to Mistwood."

"I'm glad you know that." Jordan put his arm around Araminta. "What about Kiki though?" He stroked the black cat across the back.

"Kiki will go to whoever needs her." Araminta scratched the feline behind the ear. "And that's not me anymore."

"So is it me?"

"She's guided you as far as she's needed to already. You can make do on your own now. Kiki belongs to someone else now, someone younger."

"Darcy?" The answer came naturally to Jordan, having noticed that Kiki favored his sister's bed instead of his own for naps lately. And Darcy had been very dramatic about some boy she liked—or didn't like, it seemed to change by the day—which had resulted in her slamming doors and retreating to her room with only her feline friend being invited.

Araminta nodded, smiling at the thought of Jordan's exuberant younger sister. "Darcy may have other struggles than us since talking seems to come easy to her but she will also need someone by her side throughout the coming years. She was by here earlier, by the way, telling me all the latest news about K-pop and astrophysics. It was interesting."

"You didn't understand a word, did you?"

"No, but it was interesting nonetheless."

They chuckled over their shared experience of being blathered at by Darcy. "I should introduce her to Valeria perhaps," Araminta suggested. "Astrophysics isn't her thing but she is a keen listener to K-pop."

"Oh, so you've been to see Val?" Jordan asked, happy that Araminta was rekindling old connections.

"I did," Araminta replied, a smile adorning her black lips. "We were just planning to meet up for see like half an hour after she ended her shift but we ended up talking all night. Val is like I remember her. Perhaps she always was and I was the one who changed. She seems happier now than in high school though. And she's been accepted to culinary school this fall, so she has a path to follow."

While Kiki jumped down from the hammock, finding some interesting straws of grass to chew on, Jordan decided to ask Araminta an inevitable question: "So what is your path if your parents sell the house? Will you move to their other house with them?"

Being located by a golf course by the sea, their home was a considerable distance from Jordan's hometown as well as his college town, which meant he may not be able to see Araminta as often. Which was a possibility that scared him. He needed his friend and he knew she needed him. He'd promised not to leave her. Together, they would face the scary world of adulthood.

"No," she replied decisively. "There is nothing for me there. I need to find my own path, although I don't know yet what that is. I'm still trying to figure out if I can even get my high school diploma since I disappeared at the end of my senior year. Eventually, I would like to study at college and find out more about the world I escaped to. There must be knowledge written down somewhere. So a subject like library science or history would perhaps fit, so I can rummage through old archives. Maybe there are others trapped like I was. Maybe I can help them. But regardless, I don't think my future is here. I need to fly free again, not escaping this time but instead flying toward something."

That gave Jordan an idea. A perfect idea that made all the pieces fall into place. He pulled up his phone. "Maybe you want to fly toward this?" he asked, showing a collection of pictures that Derek had sent him that morning—accompanied by strings of koala emojis, of course—of a derelict building. There was an old Victoria staircase, an off-kilter chandelier, and peeling wallpaper. And so much dust.

"What is it?"

"An abandoned building close to campus. Derek thinks it would be a great idea to renovate it and rent rooms to students. He suggested we should do it together during the coming year and document the whole process in a YouTube series. I guess it would be our next project."

"How will he get the money for that?"

"He convinced his grandpa it's an excellent business venture to invest in. I guess it's like an advance on his inheritance or something. There was a long PowerPoint presentation involved and well... Derek can be quite convincing." Pleasant butterfly flutters erupted inside Jordan when thinking of his boyfriend's enthusiastic nature. He definitely had a hold on Jordan at least.

"So how would this relate to me?"

"I figured maybe you wanted to be part of it. You could move in with us and help us fix up the house. And Derek has a cousin who works in a used bookstore who may be able to put in a good word for you if you want a job while you figure out your college application stuff."

"Isn't this project something you two want to do together as a couple ?"

"You're our friend and we would both love to have you there. I know Derek agrees because he actually already mentioned that maybe you could be a part of the project. Your presence may even prevent us from strangling each other when the renovation inevitably goes awry..."

Since Araminta still looked hesitant, Jordan pulled up one final picture on his phone. "Oh, and there is also this," he added, pointing towards a blurry specter in the middle of the image.

"What is it?" Araminta asked, zooming closer with her fingers and squinting at the screen. "Is it a ghost?"

"Something like that," Jordan replied. "There are rumors of ghosts haunting the building. If you look closely at the image, it looks like a translucent woman is standing at the top of the staircase. Derek took the picture and he swears she wasn't there when he took it. So that's part of what we want to investigate. Perhaps it's somehow connected to your experiences. Perhaps it's someone who is trapped between worlds."

Seemingly mesmerized by the picture of the supposed ghost, Araminta nodded. "I'm in." She gazed toward Jordan with determination in her eyes. "Let's find this ghost and free her."

The End