you can't wake up {pafp} this is not a dream

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I had my flashlight shown in his direction, but not at his face obviously, but more at his feet, but it reflected and I could see parts of his face. When he jokingly offered a kiss as my prize, I may or may not have blushed. Okay I did, but I mean the thought of kissing him was not a bad thought at all. "It was a rhetorical question, but I wouldn't stop you if you wanted to reward me with that," was all I said back, and I panicked a little as those words came out of my mouth. I quickly turned back around and shut the electrical box, a small shock coming from it and zapping me a little. I jumped back, frowning as my hand tingled. It hadn't been a bad shock but it was enough to at least sting a bit. I wondered why he was flashing his light everywhere, did he see something I didn't? I went over to the furnace now, wondering if it was possible to do anything about that and get the house to warm up. But then again...fire. I didn't like fire. It killed my mom. No thank you. I could be cold, that was fine with me. Im sure there were blankets somewhere in the house. Hopefully not covered in mold or something.

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I moved away from the furnace and wandered over to him, trying to follow his gaze, what he was looking at. His response to what I had said actually amused me, saying I didn't want to kiss him because he'd bite me, and I even rolled my eyes at this. "I think I could get past that," I said. I mean...biting could sometimes be pleasing..yknow if you didn't bite too hard. "Don't tell me you're a vampire, Aster. Oh please no I can't date a vampire. I like my blood in my body," now I was joking with him, just to hide my true feelings. Not sure if I was trying to hide them from him, or myself. We were dancing around the idea and flirting with each other, but I think we both knew it wouldn't end well if we ended up doing anything about the attraction between us. But then I thought...if I was going to die here anyways, why would it matter? Idiot. It would matter. Because Aster would lose me, and I didn't want him to hurt if we got really close and then he lost me. So I guess this could never happen...could it? It sucked, I was really starting to care about him...and those feelings for him kept growing, not declining. "What are you looking at in the first place?" I asked, changing the subject, before my eyes found another light that wasn't ours. What was that?

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I bit my lip then, feeling weird about this. Not a bad weird but a good weird. Now I was really thinking about this, some kind of heated moment between the two of us. "Okay we are done teasing Astrid, time to move on," I waved my hand, talking in the third person. It wasn't fair that we were stuck in this stupid scary house, otherwise I'd probably find out right then and there what exactly kissing Aster felt like. Or maybe I'd hesitate because despite being mature and experienced and what not, this was a whole different kind of situation. He didn't exactly answer me directly, but instead let his flashlight follow the little light until it landed on a naked woman. And he quickly moved his flashlight away from her. The guy was just talking about how he liked to bite when kissing, and now he couldn't look at a naked ghost. Interesting. "Yes, I saw her," my eyes were on the spot where she had been when the light waved over her. "Hello? Miss?" i called out to the ghost. "Do you need some help?" I asked, thinking perhaps this was a good ghost, and I even stepped in the direction of where we'd seen her.

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I didn't go too close, of course I wasn't an idiot. But I mean, I thought she might need help or something, some kind of spirit trapped here as well. But she could also be bad as well. I glanced up at the lights flickering, and then I blinked as Aster turned away from facing the woman. She said out loud what exactly I had been thinking, but I guess kissing wasnt entirely as intimate as seeing ones nude body.
Anywho, their conversation was interesting, and I wasn't getting an evil vibe from the woman. I pat Aster on the shoulder to tell him he was fine to look the other way and I could handle it. A woman's body was nothing to me, considering I yknow, was a woman and had the same body. I raised my eyebrows as she said I must be the one Xavier wants to kill. "Oh wow, he has a name. I thought he'd demonized himself so much that he wasn't even a person who deserved a name anymore," I said bitterly, shaking my head, but then I sighed. "Who are you and how do you know about Xavier, and his plans?" I asked curiously - using a calm, questioning tone rather than demanding.

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I felt a little bad for Aster right now but this was all his choice, and I think things were going to be fine anyways. The woman was not violent. I reached down and ran a hand through his hair the way he liked, and then I let go to pay attention to what Bethany was explaining. "Ah okay well hi Bethany. I'm Astrid, he is Aster," I nodded to him on the floor next to me.So she had owned the house, and then Xavier owned it after her. I had been right in thinking maybe he lived here for some time. "Yeah, I figured that was what he had in mind regarding my death..." I sighed, really wishing I could escape this death but it was starting to seem kind of impossible. "Are the things in the attic his? Just in case I could find some sort of information on him," I asked curiously. "Oh and have you seen two little girls around recently? They've disappeared on us," she did not say that Aster was the father, she felt that it was his own personal information and she didn't need to tell some ghost.

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I laughed quietly to myself, watching him practically melt to the floor at my touch. He was so adorable sometimes, which was weird because I was so used to seeing that tough side of him, and then a few seconds ago he was being extremely flirty, and now, a little adorable puppy on the floor. I couldn't tell you which side of him I liked better, honestly. All of him put together was pretty good to me.
I glanced back at Bethany, after looking over at Aster relaxing on the floor. So her things were upstairs, not Xaviers, and there was nothing really left of his. Wonderful. "No..they're not my daughters, they're a friend's kids," I said, still not saying they were Aster's. And if she hadn't seem them I wondered again if they even had been real in the first place. "So why are you appearing to us right now? How did you die? Did you die down here in the basement?" I also wanted to add why she was naked, because it was a little weird and I felt like I needed to give her my jacket or something to cover up, and plus I wanted Aster to get up too and help me out here. "Do you have any questions for Bethany?" I nudged the man on the floor with my foot

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I rolled my eyes at his grunt, "You are beyond weird," I whispered quietly to him. I wanted to crawl down on the ground and lay there with him but there was another person watching us right now, and yeah I'd rather be alone.
When Bethany told me why she was really here and the deal that Xavier was making with us, my eyes widened. He was going to let me go? But Aster had to stay here? I didn't like it. I knew Xavier hated Aster, so it might sound like he was going to be here happy and raising his kids, but he was probably going to torture Aster. The deal seemed simple and easy and painless...but I don't know. It seemed off to me. I glanced at Aster, frowning as he asked me to take the deal. I wasn't sure what I wanted. Despite being able to come see him, I just didn't like the idea of leaving him alone. I bit my lip and crossed my arms uncomfortably. "Can I have time to think about it? Talk to Aster. Maybe...sleep on it. Yeah, I'll think about it over night and tell you the answer tomorrow," I feel like I needed to think this through and talk to Aster and just...make sure I make the right choice.

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I let out a small sigh of relief as I was allowed to think about it. It was too much pressure on me right then, and with Aster adding onto that, I couldn't think straight. "Because it's a big decision that affects the both of us!" I answered him, sounding a little too defensive. "I don't trust Xavier and I don't trust that he will stick to his word," I looked down at him on the ground, looking around the basement. "That guy has ruined your life, Aster. Don't you want to get rid of him once and for all so you can be free?" I asked, and then sighed, thinking that nothing I said would be able to convince him. So I headed for the stairs, I was getting hungry again anyways and I really wanted one of the sandwiches I'd gotten at the grocery store. And maybe more brownies. And preztels. I just wanted to eat all the foods, as well as figure out my decision.

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I understood why he wanted me to agree to this whole thing. I wouldn't be getting hurt or harmed by the guy, I'd be safe. Plus he would get to be with his kids, and I'd still get to see him. It was too perfect a solution and that was exactly the reason why I didn't like it. Nothing was perfect, there was a catch. It was like a genie granting wishes, you had to be precise in what you asked for. The deal wasn't precise enough to ensure my safety even after I left the house, and it wasn't going to ensure Aster's. And how did I know I'd be let back to see him. How did I know he'd be taking care of the girls. They weren't here anymore anyways!
I grumbled in frustration, getting a little ways away from the doorway towards where our food was when I heard Aster yelling for me. And it wasn't the "wait astrid" kind of yell I was expecting, this was him yelling in fear. I spun around and bolted back down the stairs, nearly tripping as I did so, and I saw him disappear through the floor. "Aster!" I ran and slid onto the spot where he went through. "No no no, bring him back!" I yelled at the floor, hitting it to see if I could go through too. "Bethany! Where did he go?" I yelled to see if maybe she would answer and help, or anyone. I was panicking, my heart racing. I needed him back.

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I stared at the floor where he had disappeared, wanting to cry for some reason. Having him just be gone...I hated it. I wanted him back, because I couldn't survive in the house alone without him. My sanity would go away. When Bethany finally came and said her sisters took him. "I know that he lost his entire family by the age of ten, and he had to take care of himself..." I said, thinking of what he'd told me. "And I know that he fell in love with a woman, and was to be married to her, but then Xavier hurt his kids and then killed his wife," I continued to list the things that I knew about him. "He never said anything about doing anything bad. He's been punished enough, losing everyone he's ever loved, and he's half dead. Why can't they leave him alone?" my voice was rising, because it wasn't fair. He had already been through enough pain in his life he didn't need to be punished further for something else done in the past. It was in the past anyways, he was moving forwards now. People can change. "Can you bring me to where they took him? Please. I can't let him suffer alone," I was practically begging the woman.