ok, here is the next chapter in quick succesion to the next. love you all for reviwing so far (you guys are REALLY quick, btw)

this is a little weak at the beginnig, but i think it gets better. the description of anith is a little odd, but i cant think of how to do it better...


Chapter 7: Tanith Low and Ghastly Bespoke

"Tanith, it's me. Ghastly." She hears the voice call from outside. She remembers voices. She remembers Ghastly. She remembers friends. "Come in," she calls. Ghastly opens the door and steps inside. Tanith looks wrong. She is no longer beautiful; she is distorted, like looking in a sick carnival mirror. Her arms are swollen with muscle and are ridged with veins. Her trousers are ripped along the seams to fit her new legs. She herself is barely standing, she is so tired. Her skin is taught and grey. Her face is hollow. Her eyes are the most changed. They are set in deep voids and bruised purple with sleep deprivation. They are lost, they aren't looking at him, they're looking somewhere else far away. "Tanith," he says slowly, holding her shoulders firmly. "Oh Tanith."

She says nothing. "Can you even hear me?"

She begins to shake. "Tanith, it's over, Aranmore is over."

"Murder... Rose..." she finally says.

"She's gone now. They got her."

"She was better than me. She beat me. She got free. I should've stopped her. I-"

"-Should stop blaming yourself."

She stares at him, her large eyes slowly homing back into the present, slowly finding their way back from the past. "It wasn't me?"

"It never was, Tanith. You were amazing." He holds her close. "It's a tragedy and tragedies happen. All we can do is honour them."

"Honour them..." she murmurs into his shoulder. "It's today, isn't it?"

"It's today," he answers.

"And you're here, helping me." She holds him at arms length. "Who's helping you?"

He doesn't answer for a while, just looking at her. "I'm fine," he says finally.

She hugs him again. "No you're not; we're not. None of us are." She pauses. "But I'm back now. If it helps."

He smiles. "It does. But you need to get ready."

"I do. I'll just go and change. I'll probably wash first." She slowly walks off to the door that leads to her house and Ghastly smiles again. He's glad Tanith is back.