Despite how hard Selene had tried to stay awake after Edith arrived, she discovered her body had its agenda.

Selene usually found it hard to fall asleep whenever she woke up in the middle of the night. Considering all the crazy things that had happened after she'd woken up, she's been so sure that she'd be unable to fall asleep again.

She'd been on her bed staring at the crack on her ceiling. Edith had dropped her stuff in her room and refused to take the bed.

"I'm more comfortable on the floor." Edith had said firmly.

Her cat, Dusk didn't seem to share the same opinion. The minute Edith had stepped into the bathroom to change her dripping wet clothes, Dusk climbed into Selene's bed and proceeded to curl in a comfortable position.

She rubbed the cat's head until its eyes became slits and finally closed as it drifted off to sleep. She then laid back to admire the cracks on her ceiling.

The next thing she could remember was being prodded in her side by something repeatedly. She heard strange sounds as well which sounded strangely like the mewing of a cat.

But Selene didn't have a cat, did she?

It must all be part of the weird dream she was having. She rolled over and continued sleeping. She felt something leap off her bed indignantly and climbed back before it continued prodding her.

She slowly opened her eyes sleepily. She was startled when she saw a black cat looking at her disdainfully with its glowing ember eyes like as if to say 'it sure took you long enough to wake up!'.

Selene looked at the cat feeling confused until she remembered what had happened earlier that day.

"Dusk? Awfully sorry I almost squashed you." She sleepily rubbed the cat's head.

Dusk seemed to really like being petted. It liked it so much that it forgave Selene for almost flattening it. Dusk licked Selene's hand and purred gently.

"Are you hungry? Is that why you woke me up?" Selene asked the cat like it could speak.

As is on cue, her belly began to rumble. The cat seemed alarmed by the strange sound coming from her stomach. Its raven tail stood at an angle 90. The cat's ember eyes widened until Selene rubbed its small raven head.

"Let's get some food. I think we have a can of tuna somewhere." Selene said standing up from her bed.

She looked at the pile on the floor which was Edith. Edith was one of those people who liked completely covering their bodies while they slept. Selene couldn't even see the girl's nose poking out. The pile which was Edith seemed to rise and fall gently which was the only way Selene knew the girl was still in her bedroom.

She debated on whether or not she should wake the girl as she got ready for the day but decided not to after she took a shower. She put on her glasses and her bunny slippers before she left her room. Dusk followed her happily.

Selene found an old can of tuna in the kitchen cabinet and poured some on a paper plate. She also found a worn-out bowl that hadn't been used for years. She looked at Dusk wondering if the cat would like some milk instead of water.

"Milk or water?" She asked the cat.

"Meeeeooow" Dusk replied.

Selene searched the fridge and found some milk. She discovered that they were low on groceries. They'd need to go to the supermarket soon if they were going to feed two extra mouths. They still had enough milk and cereal for the morning. She brought out the cereal from the cabinet.

When she turned around, she almost screamed.

She'd been so preoccupied with her thoughts that she hadn't noticed when Edith came into the kitchen. Edith was looking at her with her black-lined eyes.

She was still wearing her black pajamas and had pulled her hair into a black bonnet. Selene wondered if she went to bed with mascara on.

"Hi," Selene said awkwardly.

Edith didn't reply. She continued looking at her with her piercing black eyes. It started getting a bit creepy.

Selene glanced at Dusk who was still eating her breakfast happily. Selene wondered if Edith was uncomfortable with how chummy she'd been with her cat.

"I'm not," Edith said.

Selene jumped in shock. Her eyes became as wide as saucers. She had to clean her ears to be sure Edith was the one who had spoken and not some ghost or demon.

"What?" Selene asked dumbly.

"You're wondering if I'd be bothered about you spending time with Dusk. I'm not. Dusk is her own cat. I don't own her." Edith clarified.

"I didn't know Necromancers could read minds." Selene gulped visibly.

"We can't. You're the one who can get into my head. You're the Telepather." Edith said darkly. Her eyes had a strange emotion in them.

"I'm not a Telepather." Selene said bluntly.

"Riddle me this: if I repeatedly tell myself that the sun is green, would that make it true?" Edith asked.

"Noooo....?" Selene said slowly.

"Same goes for you being a Telepather. Even if you say you aren't, it can't change the fact that you are. You can only deceive yourself for so long, Selene." Edith said.

"Well if you're not a Telepather then how'd you know what I was thinking?" Selene scowled.

"You wear your emotions on your face like it's a fashion accessory." Edith shrugged.

Selene looked at her uncertainly. She heard Edith's stomach rumble but the girl didn't seem embarrassed by that.

"Would you like some cereal? We're out of eggs and bread." Selene offered weakly.

Edith nodded. She kept staring at Selene while she brought out another bowl for her. Selene felt very uncomfortable with the way Edith kept looking at her with her black-lined eyes.

They sat opposite each other at the dining table. After they poured themselves some cereal, they both looked at each other as they ate.

"It almost feels like an awkward date," Selene thought.

Normally, Selene didn't mind sitting in silence but there was something strange about Edith's taciturnity that made her feel the need to fill up the silence. Although, it might have just been the residue of her guilty conscience.

The last time she'd seen Edith had been after Larry and Benjamin had engaged in a fistfight over her virtue(an exaggeration). To be exact, Larry had called her a slut for hooking up with his stepbrother. The whole affair had been super messy and had even involved getting parents involved.

"How's Larry?" Selene asked carefully.

"Confused," Edith said shortly.

"What?"

"You asked how he is. He's confused." Edith didn't bother to elaborate further.

"I'm surprised he let you come here. After what happened." Selene blushed.

"He's my brother, not my owner. Dusk and I go wherever we're meant to be. For the time being, my place is by your side." Edith said shrugging her bony shoulders.

"Did he...I mean..." Selene stopped herself. She wanted to ask if Larry had said anything about her but it seemed very callous. She'd been the one who cheated. Larry wasn't exactly blameless either but still.

"You're wondering if he mentioned you. He didn't." Edith said.

"Oh." Selene looked down at her cereal. She wondered why she felt a little bothered about it when she'd been the one to break up with him.

It was because she'd spent the last three years with him and still wasn't used to not having him around not because she wanted him back.

"As for if he thinks about you? That's another thing entirely." Edith continued.

"Not pleasant thoughts I'm sure." Selene sighed.

"You'd be surprised. He cares about you. Genuinely." Edith said.

"I care about him too," Selene said honestly.

"But not the way he'd want. You don't love him and you never will." Edith said.

"No. I don't. I don't think he really does either." Selene stared at her bowl.

"He's very confused about his feelings for you. At first, it started off as a way for him to get back at Benjamin. Laurence wanted Benjamin to feel what he felt when Aria chose Benjamin. Very stupid." Edith sighed.

"I didn't date him for the right reasons either." Selene winced.

"No, you didn't. You were wrong for each other. It was easier for you to accept that because you have your Synergy but it's harder for him." Edith said.

Selene sighed sadly as she stirred her cereal. It tasted surprisingly bitter to her.

"You feel bad about how things ended between you two?" Edith asked.

"A little." Selene sighed.

"Most of it was his fault. He had no business chasing after you when he already knew you had a Synergy. In his defense, I don't think he really thought things through." Edith said.

"What do you mean?" Selene asked.

"I'm sure initially, he just planned to date you for a few weeks then introduce you as his girlfriend. That way, Benjamin wouldn't be able to date you. He didn't plan on liking you because he didn't know who or what you were." Edith said.

"What I am?" Selene felt a little offended.

"You're a Telepather. Even if you tell yourself you're not, your body knows your power. He was drawn to you like a moth to the flame. Telepathers are exceptionally beautiful and talented. It's impossible to feel anything for you other than complete love or complete hatred." Edith said.

"I still don't believe this Telepathy business. I'm not exceptionally beautiful. That's enough proof." Selene rolled her eyes.

"You chose to remain plain and not exceptional." Edith raised her eyebrows.

"I don't think it's really a choice. You're born that way." Selene said.

"Perhaps. In your case, you're born to be exceptional in everything you do. You chose to remain in the background due to fear. You wear unattractive clothes, hide in the shadows and do everything within your power to avoid being noticed. You can't change who you are." Edith said dryly.

She shoved some cereal into her mouth so she wouldn't have to reply immediately. Selene looked at her, wondering if there was truth in her words. Harriet, a camp instructor at the writer's summer camp had said almost the same thing a few days ago.

Did she really go out of her way to be unexceptional?

"Larry's in a pretty bad place right now. He ended up caring more than he'd assumed. It was a competition where he wanted to prove that you'd chose him over Benjamin. He should have known he'd lose." Edith sighed as she shoved more food into her black-painted mouth.

Selene eyed Edith wondering if she was trying to make her feel bad for dumping her brother. If Edith was, then she was doing a great job.

"I'm not bound by petty worldly attachments," Edith said sharply.

"What?" Selene asked.

Edith reached forward to straighten Selene's furrowed brow. Her fingers were as cold as death.

"You get lines when you're worried. You think I'm being mean because of what happened between you and my brother." She said matter-of-factly.

"Aren't you?" Selene frowned.

"Like I said, I'm not bound by worldly attachments. Why should I turn my back against my destiny because of it? We do not see the world the same way, Selene. Most people worry about human relationships and worldly possessions but I see the world for what it is. Pointless and empty. The end is the same: Death." Edith said sounding bored.

"That's pretty morbid," Selene said shivering.

"Life itself is pretty morbid. You've lived most of your life preoccupied with human activities while I've spent most of my life traveling and speaking to death. I breathe and see death wherever I go. I've been speaking to spirits since I was 5. My mother didn't think I had been adequately gifted when she found out. She tried to cast it out of me." Edith smiled ruefully.

"Cast it out? I thought you're born with the magical abilities. Shouldn't it be impossible to do such a thing?" Selene didn't like the sound of Edith's mother at all.

"It is. She wanted me to have a more suitable magical ability. She'd hoped I'd be blessed with Silver Tongue like her father or perhaps Divination like her grandmother. She wouldn't have minded if I had been a Dream Weaver like my father. She didn't want me to have the same abilities she did. For years, I'd thought the magical powers she wished I had were the best. I ended up hating my power because it made me a freak and an outcast." Edith said sadly.

"That's silly. Aren't there tons of other Necromancers? It's not like you asked for the power." Selene shook her head.

"Nobody asks to be born with a certain skin color or certain looks. That doesn't mean others would accept it and not discriminate. I can not change what I am and neither would I want to. I see death and I speak to death. Why should I fear my own power?" Edith asked Selene.

Selene shrugged. Inwardly, she could understand why some people were unnerved by Necromancers. If they were all like Edith then that would mean they'd be misunderstood and feared. Death wasn't really a topic a lot of people liked to discuss.

"Only I can understand your internal battle. I can see your fears and your desire to remain in the dark. It is my destiny to help you discover who you are. I am a part of the Prophecy but I don't know how much my role is." Edith sounded confused.

"I keep hearing about this Prophecy and I don't even know what it is." Selene sighed.

"When the time is right, you will. Just as I knew from the moment I saw you." Edith said.

They ate in silence for some time until Selene summoned the courage to ask the strange girl some questions.

"How does it feel? Talking to spirits, I mean." Selene asked nervously. She wasn't sure if the question would be rude or invasive.

"It's the same as talking to you only I'm speaking to those whose physical lives have ended. At first, I couldn't even tell the difference between spirits and humans. I didn't understand why I could see people others couldn't." Edith smiled looking nostalgic.

"Was it very confusing? How can you tell the difference now?" Selene asked.

"It was as confusing as getting your period for the first time without knowing what periods are. My parents had issues back then and my grandparents were more concerned with helping us deal with the fact that my parents weren't available so they didn't teach us about magic. They barely even use magic since they'd moved to earth after my father almost committed suicide. I had no one to talk to. Most of my friends were spirits. It's easier to tell now that I'm older. Spirits are more graceful than humans. They do not move the way we do." Edith replied.

"Is it scary?" Selene asked.

"Not at all. Then again, most of the spirits I've encountered are calm. They're more like old people who like having their grandchildren around. They like to talk and I like to listen. They share knowledge and power with me. There are evil spirits but it's rare." Edith said.

There was an awkward silence after that. Edith kept looking at Selene piercingly.

"You mentioned something about not owning Dusk," Selene said lamely.

"Have you been told about Spirit Animals?" Edith asked.

"I doubt if the definition I know is the same as what you're talking about." Selene sighed. She hated not knowing these things.

She felt like she was supposed to know these things but her brain just refused to help her out. It kind of felt like sitting in an exam hall with questions you should be able to answer but just can't seem to remember.

"Necromancers are the only magic users who live more in the spirit world. In some cases, some don't even interact with the physical. When you spend a lot of time with spirits, you become like them. After a while, you fade away or become soulless." Edith said.

"That's bad. Right?" Selene asked.

"It is a fate worse than death. To prevent this, animals pick Necromancers when they start getting advanced in the magic of death. The animals act as their anchor to the physical world. They possess a part of your soul which they only give back when one party dies. Usually, spirit animals live as long as the Necromancers they choose. Dusk chose me but we can break ties whenever we wish." Edith said.

Selene glanced at the cat who was religiously washing its paw.

"You keep saying she chose you. How does that work?" She asked.

"It's different for each Necromancer. The magic that binds a Necromancer to its Spirit Animal is sacred and special. It is an ancient ritual. Dusk helps me with spells and strengthens my magic. It's somewhat similar to Synergy but not as powerful." Edith replied.

"She seemed to like me," Selene said proudly.

"Spirit animals are more sensitive than humans. Often, we are betrayed by those closest to us because we're blinded by our connection to them. Dusk has no such connections hence she can sense hatred and vile feelings easily. She likes your personality for her own reasons. It is not in my place to question her." Edith shrugged.

Dusk seemed to sense that they were speaking about her. She leaped into Edith's lap so her mistress could pamper her thoroughly.

"Can all animals be Spirit Animals?" Selene asked.

"Only animals associated with the dark magic of necromancy can anchor a fragment of the soul of a Necromancer. In fact, only snakes, owls, and cats have ever been known to be Spirit Animals. They're the animals of darkness." Edith said.

"Yikes. Snakes. I'm glad you weren't chosen by one." Selene winced.

"I'm glad I wasn't either. Only the most devious and ambitious Necromancers get snakes." Edith smiled.

"This looks very cozy. I was wondering where you two had run off to." A voice behind them said.

#M.M💀🖤