Four days had passed since they laid their grandmother to rest.
Life slowly returned to normal, and Tashia tried to focus again on her studies.

But something disturbed her—her grandmother’s presence still lingered, especially in her dreams. Night after night, Felicia would appear, sometimes standing silently, her face shadowed with sorrow.
And sometimes, she spoke just one word.

Help.

Tashia couldn’t make sense of it. The woman who had caused her so much pain was gone, and yet, her spirit seemed to cling to her. Adding to her confusion was the recurring image of Ashley—crying, her face streaked with blood.

Tashia scratched her neck, a nervous habit. She and her sister Vivianne had always shared something different, even as children—a strange ability to see things others couldn’t.
Visions. Dreams. Events no one else could explain.
A gift—or a curse—passed down from Grandma Felicia.

Sitting at her desk, surrounded by her architecture books and sketches, Tashia tried to concentrate. She was now a third-year student in BS Architecture, and her major subjects were relentless. She couldn’t afford distractions.

But her ability—her curse—was getting in the way again.

Grandma, whatever you’re trying to say, please… tell me clearly, she prayed silently.

She sighed, closing her notebook. The apartment was quiet; Vivianne was still at work.
I’ll finish this later, she told herself. Just a quick nap.

Night crept in. Tashia turned off the main light, leaving only her lampshade’s soft glow. Dressed in her pajamas, she climbed into bed.
Her eyes fluttered shut.

When she opened them again, she was no longer in her room.

Am I traveling again? The thought chilled her. She had avoided this for months—the visions were too painful.

But it was too late now.

Darkness surrounded her. A figure in white moved ahead.

Her heart skipped.
Grandma Felicia.

“Grandma!” she called out, but the old woman didn’t turn. She walked deeper into the shadows, silent and slow.

Then, two more figures appeared—a man and a woman—flanking Felicia like silent watchers.
They all stopped.

“Help us.”

Their eyes were heavy with sorrow.

Tashia’s voice trembled. “In what way? Grandma, please don’t scare me. I don’t know how to help.”

“Help. There’s no time left, Tash. Help us.”

Suddenly, the world shifted. Tashia was pulled into a deeper void—pure, suffocating darkness.
The three spirits were still there, but now they were bound, shackled by something unseen.

“W–what’s happening? Why are you trapped?” she asked.

“Help us escape,” the woman pleaded.

Tashia’s mind raced. Escape? From what? Who did this to you?

“There’s no time left! Let us go!” the man shouted.

Then—

“My, my. You invited her here, and now you’re yelling? That’s no way to treat a guest.”

A calm, unfamiliar voice echoed through the dark.
Footsteps approached. A hand touched Tashia’s shoulder.

She turned—
And froze.

It was her—the same woman she had seen before, the one with Sheila.

The woman smiled gently.

She’s the one Vivianne mentioned, Tashia realized.

“Dear,” the woman said softly, “you shouldn’t be here. Your soul doesn’t belong in this place.”

“B–but… they’re imprisoned. I need to help them.”

“I locked them there.”

The words struck like ice.

“Why? What did they do to you?”

The woman—Leah—sighed. Her tone was neither cruel nor kind, only weary.

“Felicia, you’re dragging this child into things she doesn’t understand,” Leah said, turning her sharp gaze toward Grandma Felicia. “Do you want her to get hurt?”

Tashia’s confusion deepened. “What did Grandma do to you?”

Leah’s expression softened. “You should go now. You’re not the guest I’m waiting for.”

Guest? The word echoed in Tashia’s mind.

Before she could ask more, Leah gently placed her hand on Tashia’s shoulder. As the world faded around her, the woman whispered:

“Take care of the child you see in your dreams.”

Tashia jolted awake, her heart pounding. Her throat was dry. She stumbled to the kitchen for a glass of water—only to find her sister already there.

Vivianne had just returned from work.

“Tashia, are you okay?” she asked, concern in her eyes.

Tashia didn’t answer right away. She just nodded faintly, staring at the glass in her hands.

“I didn’t wake you earlier so you could rest,” Vivianne said, settling down to eat.

Tashia sat across from her, still shaken. The vision clung to her like fog.

Who is she? Why imprison them? And who’s the ‘guest’ she’s waiting for?

Then another thought sent a chill through her.
The child… Did she mean Ashley?

“Tashia!” Vivianne’s voice snapped her back. “You spaced out again. What’s wrong?”

Tashia hesitated, then whispered, “I can’t stop thinking about Ashley. She keeps appearing in my dreams.”

Vivianne froze. She slowly set her spoon down.

“I’ve seen her too,” she said. “In a hospital gown… crying in the dark.”

Tashia stared at her sister. “That’s exactly what I’ve been seeing.”

“I didn’t know how to tell anyone,” Vivianne admitted softly. “Especially Sharlene.”

Sharlene—their other sister. How could they explain something like this to her?

“I just want Ashley to be safe,” Vivianne murmured. “My instincts are rarely wrong, Tashia.”

Tashia nodded, her chest tightening.

“I know,” she said quietly. “Mine too.”