She caught a glimpse of him during the intermission.

Her mind had been playing one long movie, projecting all the horrors she had seen and been through during her short lifetime. Each nightmare was vivid, rich in depth, packed with emotion, and painful beyond belief. Much like the memories Opal had restored, as each flashback played through, Eira experienced the pain attached to it all over again, as though feeling it for the very first time.

Needless to say, the night had not been kind.

So when she saw his face, the warmth in his eyes, the affection in his smile, she memorized every single detail in that short-lived encounter, and engraved it within her mind. It was in that moment that she felt like she was worth something, that she was important, that she was wanted–needed.

He was unreal, his angular face completely symmetrical, with well-defined cheekbones resting above a chiseled jawline. He radiated an infectious energy, a mix of boyish charm–with a lopsided smile that stretched over his luscious lips, and brown, shaggy hair that effortlessly fell over his forehead, and deep seduction–with his herculean stature, wide neck, and broad shoulders. His deep-set eyes, sweet like milk-chocolate, its colour accentuated by long lashes, overshadowed by thick brows.

She recalled how she felt when she'd laid eyes on him. Every bone in her body wanted to run into his embrace, have his big arms wrap around her waist, and pull her in close. She wanted to run her hands over his clean-shaven face, cup his soft cheeks, pull him into her, and have him whisper sweet nothings into her ear.

She didn't understand this feeling. Never in a million years could she have fathomed such thoughts. But there was something about him she couldn't shake. In the brief moment that she saw him, she noticed how he made her feel with just one look. That feeling was something she craved during her lifetime. It was more than comfort, it was security. He made her feel safe. And that left her feeling speechless, enthralled, but above all, sad.

Sad because she knew he was nothing more than someone she'd created to escape her new reality.

Eira sighed.

She tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall back asleep. Everytime she closed her eyes, she could see his face beaming at her. The more she saw of him, the more upset she felt. So she stayed awake, staring at the beige ceiling, trying to tune her thoughts out. Whenever a question about Ethereal or her trials would rise to the surface of her mind, she'd flush it out with mental humming. Eventually she'd filtered through the entire list of unanswered curiosities and struck them into oblivion.

As a mortal she had the tendency to obsess, to stress, over the smallest of things. Things would be different now, she decided. She would be different now.

Eira wasn't sure how long she'd been staring at the ceiling for. But the sound of a fist hitting against glass shook her from her insomniac state. Wide-eyed, she slowly rose from the bed, holding the blanket against her chest as a childish barrier.

She waited anxiously, doubting what she had heard.

She had to have been imagining the sound. She was in limbo, this wasn't the real world. To even assume that this place could have burglars, or even murderers, on the loose was insane. She didn't own anything, and she was already dead. What motive could there really be? If she wasn't so afraid, she'd have laughed at herself for being so easily spooked. What was there to really fear?

Eternal damnation, she remembered.

She listened patiently, searching for the noise. Instead, she was met with an unsettling amount of silence.

Eira took a deep breath, attempting to calm her nerves.

It was late, she reasoned with herself, and she had barely gotten any sleep anyway. She was just tired. Her mind was imagining it and there was no reason to worry–if anything, she was just psyching herself out. No one had knocked against the window.

Knock, knock.

Startled, Eira's breath hitched. No, she definitely hadn't imagined that.

Knock, knock.

She held her breath for a brief moment. Normally, she'd have pulled the comforter over her head, and closed her eyes until she found her safe place. But not this time. She promised herself that things would be different, that she would be different, and she would be. She allowed curiosity to overshadow the fear brewing within her.

Eira slowly dragged her feet off the bed and slipped her soggy boots back on.

The intensity behind the knocks eased. The loud thuds turned into gentle taps, like a fingernail tapping on glass.

Tap, tap.

Using her hand to brush her hair out of her face, Eira cautiously made her way towards the window. She heard a familiar buzzing before her eyes met with a golden wisp. It was more magnificent than the purple imps. All of them combined couldn't produce the allure she felt in this one's presence.

It hovered outside the window, faceless yet full of emotion. It swayed from side to side, wiggling its body in uncontainable excitement. The buzzing grew louder. The wisp moved closer to the window, and then waited. The sense of urgency amplified within her mind. It got to a point where it began drowning out her better judgement. A part of her wanted to open the window and let it in; into the room, into her mind.

Eira hesitated, recalling Kai's words.

Different, a voice softly encouraged.

Yes, she would be different. She would no longer be afraid. Eira knew the desire to follow the wisp did not make her weak. She was standing up to her fears. Kai's obligation did not define his moral compass. He did not believe in her, he didn't even like her. If he cared about his job, he would have, at the very least, tried to explain this new world to her. He should have helped her understand. Instead, Kai had abandoned her. How could she trust him? She had no reason to.

Besides, he'd told her to listen. And she would. To herself.

Eira used both her hands to grab onto the two handles in the middle of the window, and pulled it open. Upon taking a peek outside, she realized she was nearly five-storeys up. The building stretched further up but it resembled a poor residential complex.

It made her wonder whether there were others like her trapped in their rooms because their guides were also assholes.

She looked at the wisp. It stayed still, as though staring at her.

Eira cocked her head. She'd expected it to come into her room, but it didn't move an inch. Instead, it poured its thoughts into her mind.

"There's no balcony," Eira said, once she understood its intention. Every inch in her body wanted to follow the floating star, but there was no way. Unlike it, she couldn't fly. And as far as she remembered, there was no other exit out of the room.

The golden sparkler vibrated. It wavered, bouncing up and down.

Eira's eyes widened. "Jump?"

Its oscillation intensified. Eira was taken aback.

A sudden gust of assurance, followed by a promise of safety echoed within her mind.

Different, the voice from earlier pushed.

Eira took a deep breath, gathering every bit of courage she possessed.

She instantly pulled herself onto the thick ledge, using one hand to hold onto the outer window frame for support. Eira didn't dare look down. She knew she was being reckless but she no longer care. The feeling of exhilaration clouded her sanity, and she liked it.

Besides, it wasn't like she could fall to her death a second time.

As she stepped off the edge, the air promptly surrounded her, striking her face with tender force, and pushing her hair back, leaving the lingering few damp strands to wrap around her nose in disarray. As her body continued to free fall into the dark night, her eyes darted towards the trailing wisp, silently hoping it would stay true to its word. Its aurelian tendrils immediately shot forth, delicately binding around her torso. Emanating no pressure, they gently guided her to the ground. It wasn't until she felt the cobblestone beneath her that realized how hard her heart had been pounding against her chest.

Taking that leap reminded her of the plunge she'd taken that brought her to Ethereal.

It took a few moments, and several deep breaths, to regain her composure.

Once she had, she let out a sigh of relief. She stared at the voiceless gilded meteor as she tugged the stray locks of damp hair behind her ears, and quietly let out, "Thank you."

As though her words snapped it out of its own trance, the wisp began to shake with life. It swayed towards her, capturing her undivided attention. She looked at it curiously as it danced in the air, slowly twirling around her. As her eyes followed its movements, she found herself spinning around, trying to keep up.

Soon it stopped, inching forward and then further back. It repeated the action several times.

"Follow you?" Eira asked. She looked ahead, her eyes met with a black void. She couldn't see the outlet along the path, and she debated whether continuing on was the best idea. Things were fine so far, but she could've just been pushing her luck.

Wordlessly, the wisp affirmed. Her hesitation dissipated the moment her only source of light slowly began drifting away. Her eyes glossed over the pitch-black curtain draped over the night sky before she warily caught up to the lively ball of energy.

They strolled through the quaint alleyway, surrounded by tight buildings looming over them like a forest of bricks and stones. Despite the subtle Victorian accents, and the lack of rubbish on the ground or walls, the straight, thin, passage resembled a lower Manhattan backstreet.

With its faded colours and broken exterior, her surroundings should have been bustling with noise, at the very least with hushed chatter. But the quietness lay like a down-filled duvet, covering the area in its entirely, muffling the slightest of sounds.

An eerie feeling settled at the pit of her stomach, as she took in the stillness of the night. The silence was almost tangible.

Eira quickened her pace, making sure to remain as close as possible to her sailing lantern. Before she knew it, the wisp had led them out of the alleyway.

The moment Eira stepped into the open, the vast darkness dwindled underneath the intimidating glare of the full moon. It bled silver, casting its light down, illuminating the deserted street.

The golden ball of friction trotted forward, towards fog as thick as white wool.

"Wait!" Eira called out. But it continued on, easily breaking past the barrier of cloudy mist.

Eira quickly followed suit, too afraid to lose the wisp within the chunky smog. Fortunately, the little beacon of light was still in her line of sight. She tailed its glowing aura, making sure to walk a straight line.

Before long, Eira was released from the heavy hold. The air cleared within seconds, and she found herself standing before a vacant basketball court, its enclosure protected by tall, chain-link fencing. Each corner was lit by a giant lamp pole, but they all blanched under the moon's spectacular rays.

Eira's eyes searched for the wisp.

She finally found it, hovering over a basketball sitting alone near the middle of the court. Confused, she made her way towards the single point of entry–and exit, it seemed. As she walked across the grounds, the wisp began spazzing. It darted to her and back to the ball, swirling around it, exuding a level of elation Eira did not understand.

But she giggled, staring at it in amusement. "Do you want me to pick it up?"

The wisp's movements accelerated. It moved back and forth, dancing to the rhythm of a soundless beat.

Eira grabbed the ball off the ground and dribbled it a few times. The loud thumping echoed into the still night, reciting a few spare dribbles back.

The wisp floated over to the basket, and stayed there in anticipation.

Eira bit her lip, unsure if she could make the shot. "I don't know," she said aloud.

She'd played basketball in elementary school. She remembered being good at the sport only because she had the height advantage as a child. Now that she was grown, and at a relatively average height of five feet and six inches, she knew she didn't stand a chance without some level of skill.

The wisp buzzed, snapping her out of her reverie.

Eira took a couple of steps forward, dribbling the ball along the way. Once she found the free throw line, about fifteen feet away from the blackboard, she stopped and got into position–aiming for the middle of the basket.

"Here goes nothing," she muttered before hurling it towards the hoop. She watched apprehensively as the ball followed a concave curve.

She might've actually nailed it, Eira realized, her eyes widening with glee.

But her happiness was short-lived. The ball hit the edge of the rim, and swiftly bounced off.

Eira shrugged, releasing her breath. It was wishful thinking anyway. "Well, I tried."

"No, you didn't." She heard an approaching whoosh as a basketball flew over her head from behind and landed perfectly through the hoop. "That's trying."

As Eira spun around, her eyes locked with two narrow pools of midnight dye. 

____________________________________________

Hey guys, I hope you enjoyed the fourth chapter! If you did please don't forget to Vote & Comment if you can. I love reading those! 

Why did the wisp break her out? What did you think about Eira's basketball skills? Haha. Who's this stranger with the dark eyes? 

Who do you want to see more of, what do you want to see next? Let's get a conversation going :) xx And stay tuned for Chapter 5, coming out next week [or sooner ;) ]!