Chapter 6: Ghostly Reunion
The air in Juniper's room was heavy with the silence of midnight. A dim lamp cast long shadows against the walls, while Juniper sat on her bed, clutching the bloodstained bouquet of flowers Jace had been holding when she found him in the alley. The once vibrant petals were now wilted and smeared with dried crimson, a painful reminder of the horrific night that had changed everything.
She couldn’t sleep. How could she? Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Jace—lying there, broken, unconscious, a pool of blood beneath him. And now, he was in a coma, stuck between life and death, leaving her helpless. She had been visiting him at the hospital every day, talking to him, pleading with him to wake up. But each time, she left with her heart a little heavier, the weight of uncertainty pressing down on her chest.
Juniper brought the bouquet to her face, inhaling the faint scent of the once-beautiful flowers, now tainted with the metallic hint of blood. A tear slid down her cheek, and she whispered,
“Jace… where are you?”
Suddenly, a cold draft swept through the room, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She shivered, glancing toward the window, which was tightly shut. The lamp flickered, casting eerie shadows that seemed to twist and contort. The air felt... different, charged with something unexplainable. Juniper’s heartbeat quickened.
Then, she felt it—a presence. She wasn’t alone.
She slowly turned, and her breath caught in her throat. Standing in the corner of her room, bathed in a faint, ethereal glow, was Jace.
Her mind struggled to make sense of what she was seeing. It couldn’t be real. He was in the hospital, lying in a coma. Yet, here he was—his form translucent, his eyes soft but filled with sorrow. He was dressed in the same clothes he had been wearing that night, though they seemed to shimmer with an otherworldly light.
“J-Jace?” Juniper stammered, her voice barely a whisper. Her heart pounded so loudly she thought it might burst from her chest.
Jace’s expression was filled with a mix of sadness and longing. He took a hesitant step forward but stopped, as if some invisible barrier kept him from coming any closer.
“Juniper,” he said softly, his voice echoing like a distant melody.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Juniper’s eyes widened in disbelief, her hands trembling as she gripped the bloodstained bouquet.
“How… how is this possible?” she whispered, barely able to form the words. “You’re... you’re in a coma.”
“I know,” Jace replied, his voice tinged with regret.
“I’m not really here... at least, not completely. I’m stuck. Between life and death.”
Juniper stood from the bed, her legs shaky.
“Between life and death? But why? I don’t understand—”
Jace’s expression grew pained.
“Because I have unfinished business.”
Juniper’s mind reeled, trying to grasp the reality of the situation. She took a step toward him, her fingers reaching out instinctively, but her hand passed through the faint glow of his form, leaving her gasping.
Jace winced.
“I can’t touch you. I’m… I’m not solid, not in this form.”
Juniper’s throat tightened, her eyes filling with tears.
“Why, Jace? Why are you here like this?”
He hesitated, looking down, as if struggling to find the right words. Finally, he met her gaze, his voice barely above a whisper.
“Because of you.”
Juniper’s breath caught in her throat. “Me?”
Jace nodded slowly.
“Before everything happened… I made you a promise, remember? I told you I’d be your date for prom.”
Juniper blinked, her heart aching at the memory.
“You… you were going to take me to prom.”
“I still am,” Jace said, his voice filled with determination.
“That’s my unfinished business. I promised you, Juniper, and I don’t break my promises. But… I can’t move on. I can’t wake up until I fulfill that promise.”
Juniper felt a sob rising in her throat. “But you’re... you’re in a coma, Jace. How can you take me to prom if you’re not even awake?”
“That’s why I’m here,” Jace said, stepping closer but still unable to touch her. His eyes softened as he looked at her. “I need your help, Juniper. I’m trapped in this state—neither alive nor dead. And I can’t come back until I finish what I started.”
Juniper wiped at her tears with the back of her hand, her mind racing. “What do you need me to do? How can I help you?”
Jace looked away for a moment, his expression conflicted.
“There’s a way… a way for me to come back, to wake up. But it’s not going to be easy. There are… things I have to do. Ghosts like me, with unfinished business, need to complete certain tasks before we can return.”
“What kind of tasks?” Juniper asked, her voice laced with fear.
“I have to help other spirits, other ghosts with unfinished business like mine,” Jace explained.
“When I help them, I earn... I don’t know, pieces of my life back. Little by little. But it’s dangerous, Juniper. There are other forces out there—evil spirits, darker things—that don’t want me to succeed.”
Juniper’s blood ran cold.
“What do you mean, evil spirits?”
Jace’s eyes darkened. “There are ghosts who don’t want to move on. They thrive on chaos, on keeping people like me stuck in limbo. They’ll try to stop me from completing my tasks.”
Juniper swallowed hard, her mind spinning. “So you’re saying we have to fight... evil spirits?”
Jace’s gaze softened, and he gave her a small, sad smile. “I’ll do the fighting. But I need you with me, Juniper. I can’t do this alone.”
Juniper’s heart clenched. “Why me? Why do you need me?”
“Because you’re the reason I’m here,” Jace said, his voice thick with emotion. “You’re the reason I want to come back. You’re the only one I trust to help me.”
Juniper’s legs felt weak, and she sat down on the edge of the bed, her hands shaking. “I don’t know if I can do this, Jace. This is... this is too much. I just want you to wake up. I don’t want to lose you.”
“You won’t lose me,” Jace said firmly. “Not if we do this together.”
Juniper looked up at him, her eyes searching his face for reassurance. “And what if we can’t? What if you... don’t make it?”
Jace’s expression grew serious. “Then I’ll be stuck like this. Forever. Trapped between worlds, never really living or dying.”
A heavy silence fell between them, the weight of his words sinking into the air. Juniper’s heart raced as she stared at him, the reality of the situation crashing down on her. She couldn’t lose him—not like this. Not forever.
“What do we have to do?” she asked quietly, her voice trembling but determined.
Jace smiled, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. “There’s a place we have to go—a hollow mountain where spirits like me can find guidance. There’s someone there who can help us.”
“A hollow mountain?” Juniper repeated, confused. “Where is it?”
“It’s not a physical place,” Jace explained. “It’s... more of a spiritual realm. I can guide you there, but you’ll have to trust me.”
Juniper’s heart pounded in her chest. This was insane. Impossible. But then again, so was seeing Jace’s ghost standing in her bedroom, talking to her. She looked up at him, the boy she had grown to care about so much, and knew she couldn’t turn her back on him now.
“I trust you,” she said, her voice steady.
Jace smiled, his eyes softening with gratitude. “Thank you.”
Juniper wiped away her tears and stood up, feeling a surge of resolve. “Okay. Let’s go.”
Jace nodded, his ethereal form glowing faintly in the dim light of the room. “I’ll guide you. But before we go, there’s something you need to know.”
Juniper looked at him, her heart racing. “What?”
“There’s danger ahead,” Jace said, his tone serious. “Once we start this journey, there’s no turning back. The spirits we’ll encounter... they’re not all friendly. Some of them will do anything to stop us.”
Juniper felt a shiver run down her spine, but she nodded, her resolve unshaken. “I’m ready.”
Jace’s expression softened, and for a brief moment, his hand hovered near hers, though he still couldn’t touch her.
“We’ll get through this,” he said quietly.
“Together.”
Juniper nodded, her heart pounding with fear and determination. She didn’t know what lay ahead, but one thing was clear: she wouldn’t let Jace face it alone.
“Let’s go,” she whispered, taking a deep breath.