Samantha POV

My knees lock and my body falls on the cool grass. I could feel the warm blood dripping out of my nose. The familiar feeling of being winded comes over my body.

"Sam! Are you okay?" Blake's voice rings through my ears as Audrey picks up my head.

"Yeah, I'm good. Just need a break." Blake stands up and surveys the area while Audrey helps me sit down. I look up to the charred remains of my house. The logs are all but gone, and the roof is caving in.

My mind is still buzzing about the attack on Zack's house. Someone must be tracking my teleportation spells.

Namely Hannah.

I need to get the wards around my cabin back up, they have been growing weak.

"Help me up." I hold out my hands, the couple pulls me up and I stand there for a moment, feeling the head rush.

Then I lead Blake and Audrey through the house.

Some of the sheets are thrown over my old furniture. The moving boxes are piled by the door along with the new furniture.

Everything else is covered in thick layers of dust and grime. Broken glass and candles litter the floor with anima droppings.

I walk through the short hallway to a dead end. A closet is on my left, but with a simple revealing spell, a door to the cellar appears.

I open the door and walk down the steps. I summon all of Holy Light and I rush down the last few steps before I could fall.

My shoulder leans against the wall, I can hear the blood pumping through my ears.

The light illuminates the large room, my old witch stuff is covered in cobwebs and dust. then the glass bottles in the large cabinet shine. I suspend the all of light in the air before I open up the cabinet. Dust flies everywhere, causing me and my company to sneeze and cough.

"Sorry about that." I grab two blue bottles and one red bottler. The blue mana potion has about a shot of liquid in it. I down both of the mana potions and the red one.

My body hums with delight, the mana refilling my own magic source.

I take a deep breath as my powers allow me to become aware of how weak my wards are, and how the Moon Dust is becoming stronger. Audrey's spirit is becoming weaker.

I take a drink from a second health potion and then set it on the ground.

"Alright, love birds. Imma does some major magic so please join hands with me and keep your eyes closed at all times." I switch my eyesight to the pure Holy Light.

A ball of Holy Energy charges up in my hands. Once the ball becomes hot between the three of us I disperse the energy, creating a ward around my house. The barrier extends about 100 yards in a perimeter around the house. Next, I tap into my own powers and start a restoration spell at my house. The spell combines mine, Audrey's, and Blake's thoughts on what the house will look like.

A couple of moments later the spell is done and our feet land back on the ground. I never even noticed that I was levitating all of us.

I let go of their hands and look around. The basement is clean, no cobwebs, dust, or dead animals. My jars are organized, my ingredients are hanging in their respective places above my cauldron.

Then there is a tugging sensation at my gut. My eyes automatically change into what I call awk vision. I now see above my house, high in the sky. There are three demons being thrown away from the border. One of the demons dies, the second shadow travels away. The third look in my direction.

"I will get the Moon Dust. I need the Moon Dust for my plan to work. You keep making things difficult, you keep running away. I will be back." Hannah then shadow travels away. I scan the area again before switching back to my regular vision.

"Uh, what happened this time?" Audrey asks as she nudges Blake's hand so that he holds her hand.

"Hannah tried to breach my wards. She will be attacking the wards until she gets to the house. Please stay around the house. I need to start my research." I then gesture for Audrey and Blake to go up the stairs before me.

The layout of my house completely changed. The basement door opened up to a pantry room, freshly stocked with food items.

The house looks clean, almost happy.

The pantry leads into the kitchen. The white marble countertops and stainless steel appliances scream modern.

The kitchen opens up to a living room with white couches, loveseat, and a chair. There is a large flat-screen TV. The three of us check out the hallway to find a bathroom and a large bedroom.

"You guys can have this room. I'll take upstairs." I excuse myself from the couple and walk briskly up the stairs. The room is large, all of the walls are covered in bookshelves. My old textbooks and tomes sit beside some new tomes and fresh notebooks.

I rush over to the table and look at all of the new pens. I love new pens.

There is a large window above my bed, my dream catches hanging above it. Across from the bed is the large table.

I need to start researching as soon as possible. I'll start tonight.

First I need to visit Riley.

I go to the chest at the end of the bed and dig through my clothes. I pull on a pair of leggings, a black tank top, and an orange sweater. The October air is bitter up here.

I walk down the stairs. Blake is sitting on the couch watching the news, and Audrey is in the kitchen looking at all of the ingredients hanging above the sink.

"I'll be back. Don't leave the house." They both nod their heads, and I walk out the front door. The yard is clean, the path to the main road is clean. I go to the back of the house and start to walk through the woods to Riley's grave.

"The large rock still has the moss and flowers growing around and on it.

"I take a deep breath and strip down the mental block. In front of me stand my parents. They shake their heads at me and disappear.

"Well don't you just look happy. I like the house by the way." I turn around and there she is.

I give Riley a sad smile.

"I wish I could hug you." Her ghost laughs.

"The first thing you say to me in 50 years is that you want a hug."

I look down at my feet, the brown boots are dark from the moisture on the grass.

A cold breeze touches my face.

"I missed you too." The tears fall through my eyes. They roll down my cheeks as her ghost smiles at me.

"You never go over me, did you?" I shake my head and swallow. My breath is shaky as I put my hand on Riley's.

"You will touch me again once your time comes. You can move on Sam! I know that you liked that Zack dude from a few years ago." I gave her a sob. I then crack a smile at the thought of Zack.

"If you've been following me, you know that I've been trying to join you for a while."

"Yeah, and guess who stopped you. You're a fucking idiot Sam! I want you to move on! I want you to be happy." I shake my head and close my eyes. I can't even bring myself to look at Riley.

"I am happy with you," I whisper before the tears start to fall again. I just want to touch her again.

"You can be happy with someone who is actually alive, Samantha! Why can't you let yourself do that?" Riley's presence steps away from me.

"I want you, Riley! I don't want to be alive! I want to be with you!" Crows fly out of the trees at my shout.

"Samantha I-" I cut her off.

"If I could go back, I'd let Hannah kill me when I pissed her off. I fought back. If I didn't fight back she would have killed me! I could be with you! I can get her here right now! Please I just- I want- Please I-." I collapse on the ground. Sobs racking through my body. I cursed Hannah for taking Riley away from me. I curse fate for taking Riley away from me. I cursed everything that I could.

My heart is heavy. All of the emotions that I bottle up after burying Riley's body come back up. Riley was the only person I ever truly loved. Zack was in and out of my life never constant.

Riley loved me back.

"You're the only person that likes me for me. I don't want to let go of you." Two cold hands touch my face.

My eyes open to see a sold form of Riley.

"How?" I whisper. I rais my hands to touch her, but I don't want to see them go straight through her body.

"You're stronger than you think." Riley's smirk graces her face as she brings my face towards her.

Our first and last kiss was emotional. It felt like an eternity. We poured our emotions into the liss, light sprinkles of rain fall on us as we embrace each other. My fingers run through her hair.

I then pull Riley in for a hug, digging my face into her shoulder.

"Are you going to let me go?" I hesitate, hugging Riley closer. Then I release my arms from around her waist. I stand up straight as Riley fades back into ghost form.

"Let's go get you ready to kick some ass."