"For we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were.

Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding." -1 Chronicles 29:15-

I woke up in the woods.

The cold breeze running a chill through my spine as I slowly stood up, trying to gain traction. The ground under my feet was damp… muddy. My boots sank into the slush as I walked forward, struggling to stay steady.

I shot my head to the side, trying to understand where I was... and more importantly... why.

All that surrounded me was trees. Large oaks, almost completely barren of their leaves. A melancholic, ghost-like whisper of some sort of bird echoed in the distance. It sat in the back of my ears, only becoming overwhelming if I lost my concentration on the path before me.

But the unfamiliarity that was building seemed to fade as I began to search around me a bit more... I knew these woods. The smell of mossy water, and damp leaves filled my lungs as I walked further down the long, stone path. I was no stranger to this.

That was when I saw her.

Chloe.

She looked different. Her eyes, they weren't the same. But her smile… it was still that same beautiful, crooked smile.

She didn't walk towards me, but instead stayed in a still position, looking into the ravine below.

This was the exact place where I lost her.

The place where she died on my watch... due to my own recklessness.

This couldn't be happening.

She isn't here I told myself. This isn't real.

In that moment, she looked up at me, her eyes fully meeting mine. I was right… they weren't the same. And yet... somehow I knew them. They were a more pale blue. Her hair was much lighter, a soft blonde, highlighted with gold and brown.

It was Chloe… it had to be.

How was this happening?

She smiled, nodding her head melodically.

It was then when she opened her mouth, uttering the most comforting, yet eerie words I've ever heard in my life, where I felt the most uneasy.

"Stay."

I woke up in a cold sweat.

I was still in bed, Michaela laying next to me. She was sound asleep… peaceful and beautiful.

It wasn't real.

It was a calling.

"Zeke?" I heard Michaela ask. Her voice was tired and groggy. I gave her a soft glance, trying to assure her that I was ok. I then lifted my hand to my head, wiping my eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine. Go back to sleep."

She reached out for me, grabbing my arm gently. Clearly not buying the lie I had told. "Zeke." She whispered. "What's wrong?"

I sighed, still trying to process exactly what I had seen. The calling was so vague, and yet so hauntingly realistic at the same time. "I-uh." I paused, clearing my throat as I rubbed my hands up and down my face. "I had a calling."

Her face changed almost instantly, and she took my hand in her own. Somehow she could see it wasn't like any calling I've ever had. It was unspoken... but she knew. "I was in the woods." I spoke.

She raised her brow at me. "The woods...?" - "Where I lost Chloe?" I interrupted. "Yeah. Those woods."

She let her head hang down, trying to understand. "And…?" She asked.

I didn't know how to respond.

And for a moment I... almost didn't. What was I supposed to say? That my dead sister was visiting me in a calling? It all felt so surreal. I've had intense callings before, but nothing like this.

I shook my head, trying to compose my thoughts. "And.. she was there." Michaela sat up straighter, as she let go of my hand and began to run her fingers through her hair. "Did she… did she say anything?" Again, I wasn't sure how to respond.

"She told me to stay."

Mick let go of my arm, her beautiful face staring into my tired eyes. "Stay?" She asked. "What do you think that means?"

I shook my head once more. "I have no idea."

She leaned over, taking out her phone. I just put my arm on her shoulder, pulling myself closer to her warmth.

I found myself always wanting her embrace, even in the times where I thought I didn't... especially in the times where I felt unworthy. There was something about her love... it changed me. It saved me. And I find myself closer to her as the days go on. I shook myself from my thoughts as I saw her place her phone to her ear. "What are you doing?" I asked.

"Calling Ben." She said with a whisper as she placed her phone onto her shoulder, then back to her ear.

"Mick." I said as I turned to the bedside table, lifting the alarm clock so she could see it. "It's 5 am." She quickly ended the call and began to laugh, letting her head hang down again. I couldn't help but smile and laugh too. She was hilarious when she was tired.

She put her phone down and fully embraced me, snuggling closer to my side as I laid back down.

We laid there in silence for a moment.

No words were said... just silence. Purity and harmony filled the air, despite the uncertainty.

I didn't want this to end.

I wanted to stay like this forever... holding my favorite person in the world in my arms. Laying in our bed, in our apartment.

I never thought I'd have this... even if it was only for a little while longer. Stop thinking that way I told myself.

There is hope.

There has to be.

Mick then turned over onto her elbow, letting her gaze become engulfed into mine. We stared on, still not speaking, my mind consumed with my thoughts.

I ran my finger through her hair, brushing a piece behind her ear. She then placed her hand on my face, letting it settle on my cheek. Somehow, this calmed me down. She always had a way of doing that with people you know. She was so loving... so gentle. I let my hand met her's, as I softly closed my eyes.

"I will call Ben later then" She said with a smile. "And we will figure this out."

"Stay? That was all the calling said? Nothing else?" Ben asked me perplexed. As soon as Mick called him later in the morning, he wanted us to meet over at his place to discuss what I had seen. Truthfully, I knew he would want us over as soon as this calling came to light. After all, he was the hub of callings, and everything 828. Or rather mysterious disappearance/re-appearance in my case.

Mick leaned into the kitchen island as he grabbed his journal, quickly scribbling the word down.

"Yeah. That's all." I replied as I shook my head.

I felt like I owed him more of an explanation, considering the fact that he doesn't know much about my sister or her death for that matter. But I didn't want to dive into it again… I couldn't. This was already too much.

Mick stood up straight as she walked to the other side of the kitchen island. "Could it have something to do with the death date?" She asked.

Bingo. She was onto something.

Ben placed his pen down. "It's... possible."

"But why would a calling show me my dead sister… in the place where she died?" I rebutted. Micks head sunk down, as Ben began to pace the room.

Shit Zeke I said to myself. They're figuring out a solution for you… stop acting like an ass. I sighed. "I'm not disagreeing… I just- What does that have to do with the death date?"

Mick turned her head to me, walking back across the island and taking my hand. Ben stopped pacing, slowly turning over to me and meeting my gaze. "I don't know Zeke."

"Maybe…" Mick paused, trying to gather her thoughts. "Maybe she was telling you that you have to accept the callings like the rest of us. Maybe… she was telling you how to stop the death date."

"That I have to stay." I shot out. "She was telling me that I have to stay."

I smiled for a moment, thinking about that wild little girl.

"You know… we had this game." I shook my head back and forth, putting my hands up to my mouth. "I don't know why I didn't think of this before!"

Mick raised her eyebrow. "A game?" She asked.

"We used to run around the woods every time we went camping and play hide and seek." Mick's face turned, somehow this was hurting her just as much as me. "We would have this system where you had five lives…"

I laughed, remembering how much fun we had with this game, and the amount of rules I would let her break. "...and if you were only down to one, and the other person saw you, you could yell 'Stay!' Which would freeze them while you ran away to a new spot."

Ben took his glasses off, folding them into his pocket. "So she was saying to stay where you are."

I laughed once more. She knew exactly how to talk to me… even if it was convoluted with riddles. In that moment though, as I thought about our most recent discoveries, I became even more confused. "But that's exactly what i'm trying to do."

Mick gripped onto my hand tighter, squeezing it a few times before looking into my eyes. I saw the tears pooling in her own blue eyes. I could see the helplessness on her face... and my heart sank in a way I've never felt before.

I don't ever want to leave her.

I don't ever want her to be alone… she doesn't deserve that.

"I want to." I spoke. They started at me for a moment, unsure of what to say next.

"I want to stay."

"Ok." Ben said, breaking the silence. "Then let's help you do that."

Hey all! Hope you enjoyed the first chapter of this new fic! I'm expanding my horizons a ton... as I've never published a Manifest fic. I've had this plotline in my brain for a while, but I just started delving into it now. I'm super excited for the future chapters, and I can't wait for you guys to have the full story! A new chapter of Frost will be coming this week as well. As always, thank you guys for reading! Let me know what you think in the comments or via my twitter! I love you all!

Love, peace, and blessings

-The Color Gray