love beyond the realms

chapter 2

Val woke up to a bright, white light. It was not the purple glow of the ghost realm. This light was harsh and clean. It hurt her eyes.

She was lying on a soft bed. White sheets covered her body. A thin blanket was pulled up to her chin. She heard beeping sounds. A machine next to her bed showed a green line jumping up and down.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Val looked down at her hands. They were still there. Still human. She wiggled her fingers. Then she remembered. The potion. The pain. The car with the glowing eyes.

"Hello?" she whispered. Her voice sounded different now. Heavier. It did not float like before.

The door opened. A woman in a white coat walked in. She had kind eyes and gray hair.

"Oh, you're awake," the woman said. She smiled. "I'm Nurse Martha. You gave us quite a scare. A young man brought you in last night. You were very cold."

Val tried to sit up. Her body felt so heavy. Her muscles shook.

"Where... am I?" Val asked.

"The hospital," Nurse Martha said. "You're safe now. Can you tell me your name?"

"Val."

"Okay, Val. Do you know what happened? How did you end up on the road with no clothes?"

Val opened her mouth. But what could she say? I was a ghost. I drank a potion. I grew legs for the first time. The words felt too strange.

"I... I don't remember," Val said quietly. It was not the whole truth. But it was not a complete lie either. The human world was still so new. Everything felt like a dream.

Nurse Martha nodded. "That's okay. Rest now. Someone wants to see you."

She left. A moment later, the door opened again.

A boy walked in. He was the one from the road. The one who had wrapped his coat around her. He looked younger now in the daylight. Maybe seventeen or eighteen. He had messy brown hair and nervous eyes.

"Hey," he said. He stood by the door, not sure if he should come closer. "You're awake. I was really worried."

Val stared at him. She had never been this close to a living human before. She could hear his heart beating. Thump. Thump. Thump. It was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard.

"You... saved me," Val said.

The boy shrugged. He walked closer and sat in a chair next to her bed. "I couldn't just leave you there. You were lying in the middle of the road. It was dark. A truck could have—" He stopped. "Sorry. I'm Zee, by the way."

"Val."

"Nice to meet you, Val. Even if the situation is weird." He looked at her strangely. "The doctors said you don't have any ID. No phone. No shoes. Nothing. Where did you come from?"

Val looked down at her hands again. "A very far place."

Zee waited for her to say more. When she didn't, he changed the subject. "The doctors want to keep you here for one more night. Just to watch you. My parents said you can stay with us after that. Until you figure things out."

"With you?" Val asked. Her chest felt warm. Was this kindness? She had never received kindness from a human before. Only from her sister, Elara.

"Yeah," Zee said. He smiled. It was a nice smile. "My mom makes really good pancakes. You'll like them."

Val did not know what pancakes were. But she nodded anyway.

---

The next day, Zee's parents came to the hospital. They were both humans. The father was tall with a kind face. The mother had red hair and bright eyes. They brought clothes for Val. A soft sweater. Blue jeans. White socks. And shoes. Real shoes.

Val had never worn shoes before. She had to learn how to tie the laces. Zee showed her. It took three tries.

"Thank you," Val said to the parents. Her voice was still soft. Still uncertain.

"Of course, dear," the mother said. Her name was Helen. "Zee told us you don't have anywhere to go. You can stay in our guest room for as long as you need."

The father, Mark, nodded. "We have twin boys too. They're younger than Zee. Rowdy, but friendly."

Val felt tears in her eyes. She had never cried as a ghost. Ghosts did not have tears. But now, something wet rolled down her cheek.

"Are you okay?" Helen asked.

"Yes," Val whispered. "I just... no one has ever been this nice to me before."

Helen put a warm hand on Val's shoulder. "Well, get used to it."

---

The family took Val home that evening. The house was big and painted yellow. There were flowers in the front yard. Real flowers that grew from the ground. Val stopped to touch them. The petals were soft. They smelled like summer.

Inside, two boys ran toward her. They looked exactly alike. Same brown hair. Same freckles. Same wide eyes.

"Who's that?" one of them shouted.

"Is she the one Zee found on the road?" the other asked.

"Boys, give her space," Helen said. "This is Val. She's going to stay with us for a while."

"I'm Leo," said the first twin.

"I'm Liam," said the second.

Val smiled. "Hello, Leo and Liam."

They all sat down for dinner. The table was full of food. Bread. Soup. Roasted vegetables. And a plate with a brown square on it. It had white cream on top.

"What is that?" Val asked, pointing to the brown square.

Zee laughed. "That's cake. Chocolate cake. You've never seen cake before?"

Val shook her head. She had seen many things in the ghost realm. Corpses. Frozen smoke. Glowing berries. But never cake.

Helen cut a slice and put it on a small plate. She handed it to Val. "Go on. Try it."

Val picked up a fork. She did not know how to use it very well. Zee showed her. She finally stabbed a piece of cake and lifted it to her mouth.

She took a bite.

Her eyes went wide.

The cake was soft. Sweet. Rich. The cream melted on her tongue. It was nothing like ghost food. Ghost food tasted like ash and memory. This tasted like joy.

Val stabbed another piece. And another. She ate quickly. Too quickly. Some cream smeared on her cheek.

"Whoa, slow down," Zee said, laughing. "You'll get a stomach ache."

But Val could not stop. "Does all human food taste like this?" she asked, her mouth half full.

Leo and Liam started giggling.

"Have you really never had cake before?" Zee asked.

Val shook her head. "No."

Zee looked at his parents. They looked back at him. Something passed between them. Worry? Pity? Val did not know.

"Then eat all you want," Helen said softly. "There's plenty more."

Val finished the first slice. Helen gave her a second. The twins watched her with big eyes. They had never seen anyone eat cake so happily.

When dinner was over, the father, Mark, sat down across from Val. His face was gentle.

"So, Val," he said. "What is your name?"

"Val," she said.

"That's a nice name," Mark said. He smiled. "Can you tell us who your family is? Where do you come from?"

Val set down her fork. The room got quiet. The twins stopped giggling. Zee stopped drinking his water.

She looked at all of them. Kind humans who had taken her in. Who had given her clothes and cake and a warm bed. They deserved the truth. But would they believe her?

Val took a breath. Her first human breath that felt like courage.

"I come from the ghost realm," she said.

Silence.

Zee's mouth fell open. A piece of food fell out. Plop. Onto his plate.

"What?" he said.

"Did she say ghost?" Leo whispered to Liam.

"Ghosts aren't real," Liam whispered back. But his face had gone pale.

Mark cleared his throat. "Val, that's... that's a very interesting answer."

Helen reached over and patted her husband's hand. "I think she's still confused," Helen said gently. "She said she didn't remember anything. Maybe the accident—"

"Yes," Mark said quickly. "Yes, of course. The accident. She needs time."

Everyone relaxed. The twins went back to eating. Zee wiped his mouth and looked at Val. His eyes were curious. Not scared. Just... wondering.

Val wanted to say more. I am not confused. I am not lying. I was dead. Now I am alive. But the words felt too heavy.

So she just nodded. "Yes," she said quietly. "Maybe I need time."

But Zee kept looking at her. And Val had a feeling he did not believe the accident story. Not completely.

That night, Val lay in the guest room bed. The sheets were soft. The pillow smelled like lavender. Outside her window, she could see the stars. Real stars. Not the purple lights of the ghost market.

She touched her chest. Beneath her skin, her heart was beating.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

She thought of Elara. Of her sister's face as they said goodbye. Of Elara standing alone in the ghost realm while Val ran toward the border.

"I will miss you, but you must be free."

A tear rolled down Val's cheek. Then another.

"I will come back for you someday, Elara," Val whispered into the dark. "I promise."

She closed her eyes. For the first time in her existence—dead or alive—she slept without nightmares.

---

End of chapter 2