Here we go, chapter 4. I'm turning these out faster than I thought, and without needing a song for inspiration either. How proud of myself am I? But then again, the fasterI write them the shorter they get.I'm gonna have to find some kinda balance between speed and length I think.

Once again, thank you to my reviewers:

cakreut12: I hope the bunny hasn't mauled you yet (mine do often) but I do hope it has at least bitten lol. Thanx for the review

hikarisailorcat: have you ever seen 'my brothers keeper'? that's what she's gonna do. Thanx for the review

And on we go…

Chapter 4 - Nightmares, Cookies and Bees

"I don't believe you" Ember stated, defence on her face and in her voice.

"Why not"

Because ghosts aren't real and I would remember something as significant as my own death"

"Sweetie, the trauma of dying wipes the memory of it from everyone, they remember the last few minutes of their lives but never their own deaths. As for ghosts not being real…" Spectra got back to her feet from the sitting/floating position she had taken up. She raised her arms in the air and a ring of black flames developed at her feet. Her eyes turned blood red as she bent her knees. The ring of flames seemed to explode upwards and engulf her body. Ember had to turn her head away to keep from being blasted in the face. When she turned back there was the most terrifying and horrific thing she had ever seen.

Where the pleasant woman in red had stood only seconds before there was now only a shape that looked vaguely female. It had no legs, just some kind of tail, and was floating in mid air. But the worst thing about her wasn't that she was floating, it was that she was entirely engulfed in black flames.

Ember screamed. She screamed louder that she ever had in her life. Then she turned and ran, too scared to look back and see that the woman in red had reappeared and was calling after her, warning her not to go out on her own. Her calls fell on deaf ears and before Spectra could take off and follow her, she had disappeared.

"Whoops, too soon" Spectra said to the empty space the girl with aquamarine hair had just occupied. She shrugged and flew off, knowing that she would eventually catch up with her. They always came back to her.

Ember had no idea where she was or where she was going but she didn't care. She just had to get away from that nightmare behind her. When she finally thought she had run far enough she slowed and stopped. That was when she noticed something she had been too preoccupied to notice before. Usually when she ran, especially as fast and far as she had just then, she was out of breath when she stopped and her heart was usually racing. This time, she wasn't out of breath at all, in fact, she wasn't breathing at all. In a panic she brought her fingers to her wrist to try and find a pulse. She didn't find one so she brought her fingers up to her neck and tried again. Again, she found nothing.

"WHAT'S GOING ON!" she screamed into the sky.

"Not so loud dearie, we may be dead but we can still hear just fine"

Ember whirled, for the third time today she had been surprised by a voice that always managed to initiate from behind her. If she hadn't been so terrified she would have found it annoying and slightly funny. This time when she looked she was presented with the face of an elderly woman, he had white hair and wore a pink dress and hairnet, over this she had a white apron. And the exposed skin was green. She looked harmless enough. 'But so did that Spectra woman' so Ember decided to take her chances and try to get some answers from this woman.

"I'm sorry, I'm jut a little scared. I woke up in this weirdo place and this woman appeared. She told me I was dead and then she changed into this monster and scared the shit out of me. I ran. Now I've just stopped and I can't feel my heart and I'm not breathing." Ember said all of this in a panicked rush, trying to sort through all of it in her head as the words spilled from her mouth.

"Of course you can't feel your heart, your dead dearie, and so are we all, didn't Spectra tell you?"

"yea, but I didn't believe her, and I don't believe you. I can't be dead."

The pleasant old woman's face fell. Then she seemed to grow, and grow, and grow. As she did her hair shot like flames behind her as she towered over the terrified teenager and boomed.

"WHETHER YOU BELIEVE ME OR NOT IT'S TRUE. YOU DIED." She then shrank back to her original size and produced a plate from behind her back "Cookie?"

Ember nodded her head mutely and accepted a cookie from the old woman. As she stood and ate it she contemplated her situation and the people she had met so far.

'She is the second person to tell me I'm dead and the first person I encountered screamed in my ear about being a ghost; they couldn't all be playing a joke on me could they? I mean I met them randomly, at least I think I did. And the floating people and doors kinda give their claim more weight. Oh I'm so confused; maybe I should go find that Spectra woman again. She might be able to help me, even if she is some kind of weird monstrous freak'

She finished her cookie but when she turned to thank the woman, she found herself confronted with empty air again. 'I wish they would stop doing that' she sighed to herself and began walking roughly in the direction she thought she had come from.

An hour later, she was still wondering and hadn't found a sign of Spectra. She had found many other ghosts who had scared her, yelled at her, ignored her or made her pity them for how pathetic they were, even in the fragile emotional state she was currently in. Some had tried to help her find Spectra but she still hadn't managed to locate her. Just as she was about to give up and just wonder around aimlessly she bumped into another ghost. This one was a very short old man; he had white/grey hair, a moustache and bright green eyes. He was dressed very smartly; he even had a bow tie and a waistcoat. The teen decided to try her luck one last time before she gave up completely.

"I'm sorry, but you wouldn't happen to know a woman named Spectra would you?"

"I might, why?"

"You wouldn't happen to know where I could find her would you?"

"I might"

"Look" Ember had had enough of the roundabout answers "enough with the arseing about, do you know where she is and if you do, could you take me to her"

A frown graced the features of the man. His eyes turned red and Ember dreaded what might happen next, the last time that had happened Spectra had changed into a nightmare. First, he turned into a green shapeless mass with arms, then he changed again into a huge bee.

"Follow me" was all he said before he flew off.

End of chapter

A/N: This is starting to get good. Even I'm interested in where this is taking itself 'cause believe me I have no control over what is happening in this fic. Hope you liked.

May the Angels bless you and keep you safe.