"Why didn't you heal me?" Ivan's voice echoed through her mind, and her thoughts jumbled at the sound of it. Coherent thought no longer existed within the walls of her mind. Mia fervently tried to find an answer to the question he presented, but her mind blanked and she could feel tears pricking at the back of her eyes. She did not like this new Ivan at all and her heart broke to think she was the reason he was like this. She wanted so badly to assure him that she had healed him, that she would never not help a friend. Assurances stayed unspoken because she knew she could not give a good enough reason for his unfair fate.

"I, uh, I-I...Ivan..." she murmured.

"Don't stutter!" he exclaimed and commanded, "Answer me!"

Mia stared at him, unseeing. His presence consumed her entire mind. It was too large to ignore or push back and one certainly couldn't avoid it. He was so unlike the way he'd been in life. His kind smile had turned into a cruel snarl. The unsure but eager voice had transformed into a confident, commanding tone. His eyes held nothing but contempt. It was downright spooky. Mia was convinced he'd come back to haunt her from the grave. She felt it wasn't within her rights to hold any ill will towards him since she truly believed she was the one who carried sole responsibility for his death. She could still feel his hand lose warmth within hers and the light leave his eyes.

"I-I -I'm so s-s-sorry," she whispered, tears burning in her eyes.

"That makes two of us," he grunted with a frown. The look in his eyes dared Mia to look away, but she did not. She refused. She knew she owed him at least this much; she would not show horror or disgust at him. Not when she was the reason he had become so horribly misguided as a spirit.

"Mia," a soft voice spiraled into her mind, but she didn't respond. Unable to tear her eyes away from Ivan, she simply stared at him, her own expression filled with sorrow and regret. Unrecognizable eyes stared back into hers. Once large, purple, and sparkling with fun and kindness, they were now hardened with hatred and held no spark within them. Narrowing the eyes she no longer recognized, he cruelly addressed her.

"If it weren't for you, I'd still be alive," his his tone was even, but said with unrestrained venom. "You know it's true."

"N-n-no," she whispered, shaking her head slightly. Her hands were shaking and she could feel her heart beating rapidly within her chest. It wasn't all her fault. It was, but not in the sense he was talking about it as if she had actually murdered him. It was just sometimes all the healing power in the world couldn't save a person. It had been her own incompetence and irresponsibility that had led to this horror. Still, she hadn't actually gone out and intended for him to die which was how he made it sound.

"You. Know. It. Is." He said slowly emphasizing each word, having no sympathy for her pitiful state. Her eyes were wide and stricken as she stared at his cruel ones. Her whole body shook in horror and disbelief at the accusation, her heart galloped, and her hairs stood on end. She wanted to to shake him and yell at him to take those unfair accusations back, but she was paralyzed by his piercing eyes and her memories of his death. Near hyperventilation, she brought her hands to her ears and began whispering apologies and "not true" over and over again as she sank to her knees, ignoring the mud that was dirtying her clothes and body. He smirked and advanced towards her.

No, please, stop saying it! Mia thought and hoped the force of her thoughts would stop him from his accusations and stop reminding her of the guilt that ate away at her insides. Reduced to nothing more than blubbers, she kept apologizing over and over with hopes that he would finally just accept one and grant her peace to live the rest her life.

"Mia," that strange voice from before intercepted her thoughts. There was something about it she couldn't quite place yet. She kept her eyes trained on Ivan. Each time she had the misfortune of seeing him, he would grant her a justifiable punishment: death. A life for a life, her life for his. He'd kill her, just like all the other times she'd encountered him in this plane of existence. Lucky for her, Isaac and Garet had managed to come to her rescue each time. Now, she felt worry claw at her insides; lately, both her living friends had been expression growing frustration and aggravation at her state of being. What if they didn't come? What if they had finally gotten fed up with her and just abandoned her to this cruel, twisted version of their deceased friend? Vengeance was clear in his eyes. He reached out, grabbing her wrist, and jerked her forwards. Taken by surprise, Mia stumbled forward, landing in a heap at his feet. Apologies still fell from her lips as she pleaded with him to understand. His grip on her wrist tightened with each tearful apology.

"Mia." This voice was harsher than before, but still sounded familiar. Concern was evident in the tone. It seemed to float right overhead, yet she could not see anyone else present. Frightened blue eyes stared up at Ivan as he continued to crush her wrist within his grasp. Mia felt the old feelings of wonderment rise within her. Should she simply let him do away with her? Would that put his soul to rest? Maybe she shouldn't cry out for Isaac or Garet this time. Each time she thought on giving up, she always felt a sharp feeling, a strong resolve, something within her that refused to let it end this way.

"Mia!" It was the first voice that had entered into her thoughts earlier. It was still soft but edged with desperation.

Isaac! Mia's eyes lit up the realization. Garet must have been the other voice to call out to her. Wildly, she looked around for them, thrilled that she was no longer alone. It was the first time she had looked away from Ivan since his appearance. After a quick search, her gaze locked with Ivan's again and he looked positively mad that she had dared look away. Isaac and Garet weren't there. Ivan's grip was tighter and Mia closed her eyes tightly, realizing he was preparing to strike her down and hard. No, this isn't right! she thought desperately as she tried to yank away from him. Another presence filled her and she felt the strong resolve to not give up overcome her. Finally, she freed herself of Ivan and jumped up, ready to sprint away from him. Her hair blew in her face as she stared in disbelief at the empty space he'd just been standing in. Turning about wildly to make sure he was not hiding nearby, she felt a surge of relief flow through her, and collapsed to the ground overwhelmed.

The world shifted around her and she was staring down at the muddied earth beneath her. Her white robes looked completely discolored with the amount of dirt and grime on them. Her feet were freezing as she'd sank into a puddle and had rain pour down on her. Isaac peered down at her, eyes full of worry. Garet gently but firmly held her hands away from her ears. She quickly searched the trees behind Isaac looking for any signs of Ivan. Her body went limp with relief when she was sure they were the only three there.

"You with us?" Garet's voice came from above her as his grip on her wrists loosened a little. Mia nodded and took in a deep, unsteady breath.

"Yes," she lied, her voice shaking, "I'm fine."

"You sure?" he questioned. She nodded and he let go of her hands allowing them to drop by her sides.

"What happened?" Isaac asked, knowing full well what the answer would be.

"I was napping and had a nightmare," she explained, trying to stop herself from trembling. It was a fruitless effort.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Isaac prodded gently. Garet, who was still behind Mia, rolled his eyes. This went unnoticed by Isaac.

When does she ever want to talk about it? Garet thought, running his fingers through his hair in agitation. He knew what she had nightmares about even if she didn't want to talk about them. She was always muttering and crying out. It hadn't taken him long to figure out what was going on and when he'd had, he'd been practically bowled over by shock. He had come to the conclusion that she wasn't completely right in her mind. He could hear her begging for her life and apologizing and it was always to the same person, every time. She had nightmares about Ivan killing her! It was a ridiculous thought. If the situation wasn't so serious it'd be laughable. Unfortunately, the situation was serious. Very serious. It was affecting her health. And Isaac's. Garet knew, without a doubt, that this present situation would make Ivan very sad and he even talked about it some when he visited the makeshift memorial.

Mia shook her head in answer to Isaac's inquiry. She had been unable to stop her trembling. "No, no, I'm fine," she insisted, getting up. Garet reached out to steady her a couple times. Isaac sighed, glad that the whole episode was over with for now. Maybe they would be granted several hours of peace now.

"Let's go back to camp," he suggested quietly. Garet and Mia nodded and followed Isaac, the two boys making sure Mia was in the middle on their trip back to the camp.

Isaac skimmed the surroundings, looking for monsters. He knew he wouldn't find any. There hadn't been any monsters around for the past two weeks since that last monster. Isaac shuddered. The weather had, inarguably, sent them all into hiding. Isaac found a shortcut back to camp. No one said anything, but he knew they knew why they had taken this route as it conveniently didn't cut across any clearing or go anywhere near a particular marker.