A couple hours later, and the fire had died down to an orange glow. Sam had learned a lot about the night sky from Lydia.
Sam yawned. "Well, I need to get to sleep," she said, stretching. "What are you going to do until tomorrow?"
Lydia sighed. "Sometimes I miss being able to sleep. I guess I'll go secure the perimeter or something. And I'll spend the rest of the night guarding you."
"Huh?" asked Sam, looking askance at the ghost.
"Well, I don't want a real snake, or scorpion, or something to attack you. What kind of friend would I be if I let that happen?" said Lydia.
"Makes sense, I guess, I wouldn't want that to happen either," replied Sam. She went over and got a last drink of water from the pool, then unzipped and climbed into her sleeping bag. "Good night, and thanks," she said, yawning again.
"Night, Sam. Sleep well," replied Lydia, who put her hood up and vanished from sight.
"You..." said Sam, then caught herself. She'd almost said 'you too'. She moved around until she found a comfortable position, then closed her eyes. A few minutes later sleep stole over the Goth girl, and her breathing became regular.
From the waterfall, the red eyes observed, seemingly pleased with this turn of events.
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Secure within her red cloak and hood, Lydia the Goth Ghost flew just over the tops of the trees around the valley. All seemed dark, quiet, and peaceful, with the exception of animals that were nocturnal moving around in search of a late night snack.
She hadn't said anything to Sam, but there was ghostly activity in this valley besides herself. She could feel it, but couldn't find it. It wasn't strong enough to get any kind of idea about it, whether it was good, evil, or neutral, but she had a premonition she would find out before the night was over.
She found herself by the western edge of the valley, and hovered over the steep-walled hills,
looking toward Amity Park. The lights were subdued in the late hour, but one could still easily tell where the town lay.
Lydia reached her senses toward it, trying to test if the ghostly presence she was feeling was really over there, and not in the valley. She felt nothing, so concluded it had to be here, somewhere.
A wave of fear suddenly washed over her. Something was badly wrong! Sam! She turned and flew back towards the camp as quickly as she could fly.
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Sam slept peacefully by the embers of the fire as a mist began to form over the pool. It grew thicker, and thicker, and finally spilled over the edge to the valley floor. It began a slow creep towards Sam. It looked like ordinary fog, but seemed to move with a purpose.
As it got within a few feet of her, Sam suddenly turned overrestlessly. Her dreams had become unpleasant, filled with splashing water and deep pools and the feeling she was drowning but unable to die. She groaned in her sleep.
The red eyes in the waterfall gleamed in triumph. The moment was at hand! They suddenly dropped to the bottom of the falls, and could be seen traveling across the pool to the point closest to Sam. They rose from the water, becoming part of the mist still flowing over the edge, and approached the Goth girl. The mist gathered itself, and began to rise, taking on a human-like form towering over the girl.
Sam woke suddenly and sat up, gasping for air. She breathed deeply several times and began to calm down. 'It was just a dream,' she thought, 'Probably because of the waterfall being so close.' Her heart was still racing so hard she thought it could be heard aloud. She took several more deep breaths, and got her trembling body back under control.
"I hope you enjoyed the air you took in, because it is the last you will ever have," said a high-pitched whispery voice from behind and above her. She turned quickly to see the mist from the pool gathering into a human shape with red eyes glaring down on her. So she did what any sensible person would do. She screamed. Loudly.
Lydia was approaching and heard the scream, so she tried to fly faster. But she was at her limit, and it would still take a few seconds to get there. She flew through the trees to the clearing by the waterfall, and by the light of the stars saw Sam standing by the pool.
"Sam! Are you okay? I heard you scream!" said Lydia as she landed a few feet away and pulled back the hood of her cloak.
Sam's back was to her, and the girl, unmoving, seemed to be looking into the pool.
"Oh, I'm fine... now," she finally answered. Sam turned toward Lydia. Her eyes were closed,
her head tilted down slightly, and she had an odd smirk on her lips. "The bad dreams have ended. Forever."
"What are you talking..." said Lydia, then stopped. She suddenly realized the ghostly activity she had felt was right in front of her.
Sam's smirk became an evil grin. She tilted her head up and opened her eyes. Lydia gasped as she saw them glowing red. Sam was possessed!
"Sam!" shouted Lydia, the loudest noise she had made since the return of her voice.
"No, not 'Sam', but Aquaria!" was the reply. Lydia took a couple of steps back. She was in sudden agony as she realized she had failed to protect Sam. Ectoplasmic tears began to trail down her cheeks.
"Here," said Aquaria with Sam's voice, "Let me wash your face for you." She raised her arm,
palm out and fingers wide, towards the waterfall. Her hand glowed green, and the water did the same. Without warning it suddenly stopped falling into the pool. Aquaria swung her arm around toward Lydia, and the water suddenly headed for the Goth Ghost.
Before she could think to go intangible, the column of water struck her full force, and shoved her away from the clearing. She slammed into a tree, which stunned her. She lay at the bottom, wet and unmoving.
Aquaria laughed. "Cleanest ghost this side of Amity Park!" she exclaimed as she gestured for the water to go back to the fall.
The water in the pool suddenly overflowed and washed over Aquaria's feet. It picked her up and gathered into a wave which grew to be fifteen feet high with her at the top. Lydia came to and stood up.
"What have you done to Sam?" she demanded, hovering a foot off the ground.
"Oh, she's still here, for now," replied Aquaria. The red eyes suddenly were replaced by Sam's violet orbs.
"Lydia! Help me!" screamed Sam. "Aquaria is-"
"Ah, ah, ah! Mustn't give away secrets!" said Aquaria as Sam's eyes returned to red. She regarded Lydia. "Hm. You're a ghost too, so I can't drown you. But with enough water I can wash you away, dissolve you, so you can never take form again."
Lydia hung her head. "Go ahead. I deserve it."
That was the last response Aquaria had expected. Threats, curses, defiance, a move to fly away, those would be normal. It shocked the water-based ghost so much she froze for a few seconds.
"What do you mean by that? What kind of trick is this?" she demanded.
Lydia looked up, luminous tears once again streaming down her green-skinned cheeks. "No trick. Take my afterlife. I don't deserve it now, anyway."
"I-- I demand you explain yourself!" said Aquaria. She was sure this was a trick, and if she could get this tattooed ghost to say the right thing, she could figure it out. Aquaria's hold over Sam was not that great, yet, and she couldn't risk that this other ghost could stop her.
"It doesn't matter, now," said Lydia, hanging her head again, "My reason for existing no longer does. Go ahead, do it now." She stood, waiting for her end.