The morning was as beautiful and new as it could be, the sun shinned brighter then I'd ever seen it, not a cloud in the sky. A cool breeze filled the trees, rusting it's leaves.

When Valarie rose from her dream we had a long talk about what I had discovered last night. She took it well I mean, I wasn't surprised. The only thing that disturbed her were reapers and "Grim," if I was to be honest I was a bit scared as well. "Theres peace after this," Valarie said hopefully, "I was scared I'd be stuck here forever."

"What are you still holding onto?" I asked Valarie while holding her hand. "The faster we can get you to peace the better I'll feel. We live in a town full of ghosts and people who can hurt you."

"I know," she said softly. "I keep looking back thinking who I could have been if I was alive, I crave it. I'm mad I never got to fall in love, get a job, I'm mad I dont get to live and get to watch you make friends, I get to watch you move on. Which I'm happy for you truly, but I think I'm still holding onto my old life through you, if I'm to be honest I've been too busy looking after you so I dont have to remember I'm dead."

"Being with me doesn't help?" She shook her head sadly. "But if you aren't with me, not that you could ever go far, you could get caught by a reaper damned for eternity."

"Better then getting caught by this "Grim" guy, plus Cullen said Mackay Manor is safe at least from reapers, I could stay there."

"I dont like this idea." Even though she made sense, I didn't like not having her around. I guess we both needed this, we've both been so tied up in us and keeping each other afloat when all we've been doing is playing pretend. I cant live my life in the shadow of a ghost, and Valarie deserved a chance to a life unlike this. "You'll still visit right?" I asked trying to hold back my frustrated tears. Losing my parents and then Valarie was hard, losing Valarie again might destroy me.

"Of course, I'm going to hate this as much as you but its time you live also Blair, you have made such good friends. I seen the way Bryce looked at you last night, he cares about you, explore that."

I didnt like Bryce, well I did but I liked someone more. Bryce didnt drift into my mind every five minutes, he didnt make my heart pound out of my chest. "He's a good friend," I smiled weakly. "I think this will work," I said confidently. "if I learned anything at all its that you dont belong here, there's somewhere for you and I'm hoping its all you'd ever hoped for."

"I love you Blair," she hugged me settling a chill though out my entire body, I could feel it rush through my blood, causing me to feel a bit drained and far away. This was going to work, being with people just like her would be the breakthrough she needs.

"I love you," I said running my hands through her short hair. "You know how crazy this all is?"

Valaries body shifted as she laughed, "I'm sure it'll only get crazier, maybe after I see how dysfunctional these Mackay people are peace will pity me and find me itself."

"Hopefully I get a goodbye."

"If it works like that, when I'm gone its going to be hard I haven't really cried since I died all I've done is dream about what ifs. Its scary, even scarier since I won't have you by my side," she sniffled.

"Ill visit twice a week?" I prompted, "I mean that couldn't hurt right?" I was worried but in some way I felt she would be just fine at the manor, considering not many would even look its way. I wondered if the family slaughtered here still haunted the grounds, I wondered if i was safe since any ghost could touch me. Ive been touched by death somehow, but my soul still remained, nothing made sense. Maybe if I was honest with Cullen he would have had answers for me.

"Of course," she grinned.

"Ready to meet the crazies?" I laughed, something told me even though Charolette was a raging psychotic the two would get along perfectly.

"Ready then I'll ever be."

................................................................................................................

I found Cullen in the back of the manor outside staring off into the woods, alone. He turned around immediately his wondering eyes finding mine, then Valaries, "Holy shit you didn't tell me he was ungodly hot!"

I swatted Valarie, knowing she couldn't feel it, ghosts cant feel anything not pain, not even a kiss. I was still trying to figure out how and why they could do different things, why can I feel them so vividly but they cant feel me? It must be lonely never knowing the warmth of another ever again. "I didn't think that would be important." I remember admitting to Cullen last night I thought he was hot, shameless flirting, thats all it could ever be. "Good morning Cullen," I tried to muster a calm smile but I ended up smiling from ear to ear, he looked different this morning but at the same time every bit the same.

"Good morning Blair, this is the lovely Valarie? Its an honer to finally meet you," he took Valaries hand in his and shook it while Valarie stared up at him star struck.

"Oh he's a gentlemen," she purred.

"He's been dead for thirty years," I reminded her. "He's not quiet caught up on the 21st century, anyways we need a favor."

"I'm listening."

"Valarie needs to find peace and she cant do that with me around her all the time, and I need to get back to the real world," I gulped trying to sense how he felt, his face didn't shift. "Can she stay here I mean would you mind?"

He looked over to Valarie something in between kindness and sadness flickered in his blue dim eyes. "This must be hard for the two of you, I've never seen a ghost attached to a human I can see why it would be hard to move on. You're not alone anymore," he said looking back to me. "She can stay here however long it takes, she isn't like us she doesn't belong here." I wanted to say he didn't belong here either, but something tells me he'll never agree, he blames himself.

"I will be visiting of course to check up on her and you as well," I murmured playing with my hands, why did he make me so nervous?

"Charolette is inside she may come off as a vein mess but she's tolerable, she will show you around Mackay I need to talk to Blair alone do you mind?"

Valarie tried passing a secretive grin and eyebrow wiggle but she was more then obvious, "Oh yeah sure thing, we'll you come get me when the two of you are done "talking," she grinned throwing up quotations with her fingers.

"What does she mean?" Cullen frowned looking down at me for an answer.

"Nothing, she's a little loopy in the mornings ," I rushed on. "Ill come see you before I leave," I reassured Valarie as she skipped off, her mood swings have been off the walls lately. "So what's up?"

"I didn't want to say this in front of Valarie, but she shouldn't get her hopes up the two of you guys have something different. Which is something I'm trying to figure out, there may be a chance Valarie will be stuck here as long as you're alive."

"That cant happen," I gulped, I cant be the reason Valarie could never find peace it wasn't fair maybe now was the time to tell my whole truth. "The night Valarie died, I died before her. Everything went black, I couldn't hear anything but a hum, a dreadful gut wrenching song, there were no words but the song spoke with its pain. Then I was back in my body like nothing ever happened, I dont know where I went or if I imagined it all but I was gone for five seconds maybe more. My heart stopped completely, I came back but Valarie didn't."

"Why didn't you tell me this sooner?"

"I didn't know if I could trust you," I sniffled as I held my arms close to my chest.

"This changes everything Blair," he was no longer frowning but his entire face crippled with fear, loss. "Everything I suspected is true-"

"Say it, what are you not telling me?" I asked closing the distance between us, looking him dead in the eyes, "I deserve the truth."

"You are who the reaper was warning me about at least the first part, you are the song of love and sorrow, you are the riddle." The riddle he was discussing with Charolette...

"What did the entire riddles say? I mean what does that even mean?"

"I don't know what it means exactly but, "Wait for her song of love and sorrow, only then will a soul be borrowed," I borrowed Valaries...is that it? I waited for him to continue, "The grim will rise and claim his prize, his one and only bride. What was wronged must be right, souls will be guided to the light." She then warned me of this, "Do not fall in love with what you fear, it'll cost what you hold dear."

"What does the grim claiming a bride mean? You're not saying its me?"

"You or Valarie, the first part I now know is yours, you have a soul but you are no longer free Blair. You never will be."

"What are you trying to say?" I asked as a single tear escaped, confusion and fear rising to the surface.

He caught the single tear with his thumb, his eyes soft and tender as he tucked a strand of hair in my face behind my ear. I couldn't help but shutter a bit, a sudden thrill spiked down my back. My vision was hazy, my mind clouded and confused. "You are a Banshee Blair your song calls death before it strikes, you belong to the Grim till your last breath, maybe even after that. The Grim robbed you of your choice of death or life like he always has, you are now in between it all."