"Luc!" I yelled after him.

He ignored me and continued to walk towards the bedroom door. My throat was closing up with each step he took. I crawled to the edge of the bed, still clutching my blanket and called after him, "Luc, wait - "

But he didn't even turn his head, not even to spare me a parting glance. He simply walked to the bedroom door, opened it and closed it quietly behind him. There was no temper tantrum, or yelling or even slamming of the door. He just left.

"Luc..." I whispered into the empty room, "Come back, please."

His footsteps drifted down the corridor, getting further and further away and the reality began to sink in. Oh god, he really was leaving me. He'd finally had enough of me. I wanted to run after him, to tell him I was sorry, and beg him to take me back. But then I looked over to the tapestry hanging on the wall, and I was painfully reminded of all the reasons why I couldn't.

I sunk down into the mattress, and drew my knees into my chest and started to cry. Burying my face into a pillow I sobbed, "Please, Luc - please come back. I can't do this without you..."

Lord knows how I wished to go after him, but I couldn't. If I did, then he'd want an explanation that I couldn't give him. There was no possible way of explaining what had happened without endangering us both. Miserably I conceded I'd have no other choice than to wait for him. So I'd just have to believe that by tomorrow morning, he'll have calmed down and would be thinking about coming to see me.

I mean, he can't just abandon his pregnant wife ... could he?

I hugged my pillow closer, and shut my eyes. Silently I prayed to whichever God was listening, and asked for Luc to come back to me safe, unharmed, and in a forgiving mood. I opened my eyes and stared at the bedroom door, willing him to come back to me. I strained my ears for any footsteps that might be heading my way. I silently fanaticised that he'd come bursting through the door and take me in his arms, then kiss away all those terrible thoughts, of what my life might be like without him.

And so I watched the door, and watched.

Minutes soon dragged into an hour, and then a single hour turned into hours, yet there was still no sign of him.

I'd hoped that he might return to the bedroom after he cooled off, but as more and more time passed I began to worry that he'd really meant what he'd said. Shit, what if he really meant what he'd said. It felt like my soul was aching for him. I wanted him so badly, it felt like I was in physical pain.

"Come on Mia, stop being so stupid. It's only been a couple of hours for crying out loud!" I snapped at myself.

I needed to pull it together! I flipped over onto my back and stared up at the ceiling. A thought flurried across my mind and I immediately thought 'no, I can't'. But no sooner had I dismissed it, it came scurrying back into my head and whispered 'open the door in your mind, and let him back in'.

"I can't." I snapped out loud.

'But he might never come back if you don't.'

Those words wrapped around my heart and squeezed tightly like a vice.

I couldn't do it. I couldn't risk opening myself up to him, and him seeing everything that could ruin us - but then without him my life was already ruined.

Against my better judgement I closed my eyes and imagined the room Henrietta had once showed me. The room which housed the door that represented the link between Luc and I ...the door which I'd shut to keep him out of my mind.

The room swirled in front of me, and I felt my very essence being pulled into the thought, until it felt like I was physically standing in the room staring at the closed door. I focused on the door handle and thought about turning it. Should I do it? Shouldn't I? If I opened the door then I could call him back to me, but then he might decide to search my mind instead, in which case he might discover what really happened in the bathroom.

I didn't know what to do ... when suddenly:

"Even if you tried to open it, it won't open." A familiar voice echoed across the room.

I jerked away from the door and saw Laura Taylor standing at the opposite end of the room, still in her blood soaked hospital gown, looking ghastly.

Leaning against the adjacent wall she was casually observing me. She pointed towards the door and repeated, "It won't open anymore."

"What?" I replied.

"Go on, try it," Laura said.

I turned back towards the door, and with great trepidation tried the handle. Wrapping my fingers around the cool brass handle, I pulled gently down and found that the door handle wouldn't budge. Confused, I tried turning the handle again, a little harder this time, but the handle still wouldn't move.

Stepping back I looked at Laura and asked, "What's wrong with it?"

Laura hunched her shoulders, "The hell if I know why, and oh by the way, I'm feeling much better now if you were wondering. The last couple of times we met, I was still struggling with all of this," she said waving her hand around the big gaping hole in her chest, "But I've now acclimatised to the situation, and I'm doing much better. Although to tell you the truth, I'm still a little pissed off."

"I'm real sorry about what happened to you," I told her.

"You should be. First you fucked up my arm, and then this," she said glancing down to her empty chest cavity, "Although, technically the arm thing wasn't you. I know it was 'her' who broke my arm that night. She was really pissed off at me, but she's pissed off at everyone."

My eyes widened, "Wait, you know about Celia?"

Laura shrugged, "Not a lot. I mostly talk to the burnt chick that seems to like to hang around you. She's the only one who really talks to me."

Oh my God. The memories of the burning woman with her peeling skin, flashed in front of me. She was the bad ass who'd KO'd Nico with a silver tray when he was being an asshole.

"So wait, let me get this straight - you've been talking to all the spirits that hang around me," I said.

Laura nodded, "Yip. Congratulations Hayden, I've been dragged into your freak show."

"But, why? It makes no sense. Why are you and all those other spirits haunting me? Why not go to heaven or where ever it is we go when we die?" I asked.

I couldn't understand why they would chose to hang around me. I mean, if I were a ghost and capable of going anywhere, why would I stay in the same place, or attach myself to one person.

"Well, we're stuck here," Laura said flatly.

Stuck? How could they be stuck?

"Isn't there supposed to be a white light, or a tunnel that you're supposed to float into?" I asked.

"Maybe," Laura sighed irritably, "I don't know. I mean it's not like we're hanging around you out of choice. Someone is stopping us from passing over."

"What?" I replied confused.

"Someone is keeping us from passing over," She replied.

I fell silent, completely taken aback by what she'd told me. Why would someone stop a soul from moving on. More importantly, why would someone want to stop Laura Taylor from moving on? It didn't make sense.

"Do you know why?" I asked curiously.

Laura groaned, "No, I don't know why! All I know is that I'm fucking cursed to walk around this earth, looking like an extra from a slasher movie. Being dead totally sucks!" she snapped.

And suddenly my life problems didn't seem so bad.

"Okay," I said coolly, "Let's try this again. Why are you here Laura?"

"I told you Hayden, I'm trapped. I can't pass on," Laura said.

"And what do you want me to do about it?" I asked.

Laura dramatically threw her hands up in exasperation and said, "I want you to help me, no, I need you to help me. You are the only one we can talk to. You are the only one who can help, Hayden."

I shook my head, "I don't know how, I don't know anything about ghosts."

"But you can see us!" Retorted Laura.

"Yeah, and I can see birds everyday. That doesn't make me an ornithologist," I replied.

"What the hell is an or-ni-theology-thingy-whatever! It doesn't matter. Gawd, why do you have to be such a smart ass," Laura said, squeezing her eyes shut and massaging her temples.

"I'm only be honest," I said defensively.

"Hayden, look at me!" Laura screamed, "I'm missing my damn heart!"

Groaned in frustration. I felt bad for Laura. I really did but there was really nothing I could do for her. I wasn't a freaking ghostbuster, or TV psychic that could send her into the 'light'. I was a pregnant princess vampire who had a personal life so messed up, it made the guests from the Jerry Springer show almost seem normal.

"I'm sorry Laura. I'm really sorry, but I don't know how to help you," I said.

"Listen," Laura said pointing at the door, "Do you want that door open?"

I hesitated, "Yeah, at some point."

"Then you'll do what we tell you, because if you help us, we'll help you," Laura said.

I looked back at the door and tried the handle again. When it didn't budge, I realised that Laura and her spooky friends had me inbetween a rock and hard place. Great.

"Okay," I said reluctantly, "But I've got questions I want answered," I replied.

Laura smirked, "Very well."

"First I want to know why Celia is haunting me, then I want to knowwhy that door isn't opening, and then I want to know who is causing all this chaos," I said.

"I'll try, but I'll need to talk to the others. Like I said we've been cursed and whoever did this has been very clever at hiding themselves. For example, there are blanks in memory. I don't know who killed me, I don't remember their face, I just remember - " Laura grimaced and stopped herself before going any further. She painfully gazed down at the hole in her chest and looked away.

Feeling guilty I said, "Okay, just find out what you can. Then meet me here tomorrow morning. I'll make sure I'm here, waiting for you," I said.

Laura nodded with a fake smile, "Great, I'll get going and talk to the burnt woman."

"Great, hopefully we can solve this mystery together," I said, feeling less than optimistic.

Laura walked away, her figure fading into nothingness, and just before she disappeared she glanced over her shoulder and said, "Oh, and one last thing Hayden. I'm really sorry for dropping you in this shit. If I'd know the the frat were going to sacrifice you to vampires, I'd probably wouldn't have invited you to the party."

"Thanks," I guess.

Laura vanished and I fell quiet, overwhelmed by everything that she'd told me. I couldn't understand why Laura and the others couldn't pass over, or why someone would be stopping them. Was this why Celia was haunting me? Was this her way of trying to reach out for my help?

But most importantly, why couldn't I open the door that connected Luc to me? And what would this ultimately mean for us...

*************

Hi angels,

Just a note to say thank you for the lovely messages in the last comment section

Vicky

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