Origins [1] - Ghost of a Chance (WiP - 3/29/2016)

Origins [1]
Ghost of a Chance

	Emily trudged through the forest, the evening rapidly cooling in time with the sun’s descent.  Hoping for a quick retrieval of her sister, she’d decided against finding her coat; the resolution now teasing her from the back of her mind.  When she finally found Isabella, she just might do something stupid.
	Maybe.
	Isabella was at least getting a solid punch in the shoulder.  Supper was ready, she was hungry, and now Isabella was the only thing standing between herself, a good meal, and a warm bed.  At least she wasn’t the one lost in the forest before nightfall.  She shuddered to think what her father would do if he had to go out and find her.
	Several hour later, the young girl’s resolve was starting to wane.  Justifiable worry was setting in now that the sun had set, and still she saw no sign of her sister.  What was she doing out so late?  Even she wasn’t so dense.  Isabelle knew the stories of the forest just as well as everyone else – she knew something big had moved in.
	There were rumors of some spider monster lurking about, eating all the creatures of the forest.  With the sun down and her worries rising, Emily now listened closer to the woodland.  Rather, she strained to hear anything at all aside from the noises she was making.  It wasn’t so cold out she was worried about freezing to death, but if the breeze picked up, she was bound to shiver as bad as the leaves would.  Instead of picking up any noises at all, she heard nothing.  Complete silence, like the forest had died.  Looking around, she shivered in the darkness as her eyes strained to pick out where exactly she was.
	“Isabelle!” she called out, “Isabelle, where are you?”
	Her imagination was not being particularly kind to her, and she couldn’t help but feel like she was being watched.  Something close, but out of sight - just close enough to be worrying.  Whatever it was, she wanted no part in its plans, and turned to start heading home.  Rather, she would have started heading home, had she not gotten lost herself.  Cursing her luck, she looked up for a moon.  If she could find one of the moons, she could get her bearings and at least head back in the general direction of home.  Instead she found a sky full of clouds, just thick enough to block the glow of anything above.
	Remembering her necklace, she picked the small gem out of her cleavage to admire it.  Holding it tightly, she blew on the small stone, causing it to shine with a dim, white glow.  Letting it fall back to her chest, she sighed in relief knowing that she could at least see her immediate surroundings.  Then again, looking at the long shadows of the trees, she decided it best to not focus on the details of what she could see.  Lost and stuck waiting for the weather to clear, she decided to wander around.  Maybe she’d get lucky and find Isabelle?  Providing, of course, that something else hadn’t already found her sister.
	Whatever creature had cleared the massive forest out likely wasn’t going to be stopped by an unarmed girl in the dead of night.  She did at least make the decision not to call out for her sister any more – best not to give her position away to something that might not be in the mood for socializing.  She wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible; but she knew that running would only serve to get her lost deeper in the forest.  She knew that if she sat still right now though, fear would take the reins completely.
	 “Hello?”
	Emily stopped walking, frozen at the sudden arrival of a rather detached voice.  Slowly, she looked around, the gem resting against her bosom providing just enough light to see nearby trees and their changing leaves.
	 “Who’s there?” she called back, throat suddenly dry.
	 “My name is May,” came the acute response.  “What is your name?”
	 “Okay, May,” she replied, still slowly turning to try and find the source of the voice.  “Where are you?”
	 “Hiding.  What’s your name?” the voice repeated.
	 “Emily, now why are you hiding?”
	 “Because I don’t want to scare you away,” May replied, still not at all visible.
	 “Are you lost too?” Emily asked, now hopeful for some company other than the uncanny silence of the forest.
	 “Yes.”
	 “Then you have no reason to hide from me,” she finally said, leaning against a tree.  Looking around, she strained her eyes against the darkness, trying to find a source for the voice.
	 “Promise you won’t be scared?”
	 “I suppose?” Emily answered, now re-examining her reply.  ‘May’ said nothing.  Emily attempted to back against the tree further, only to succeed in finding no further comfort from the plant.  Then, she saw it – a glimmer of light reflecting back from something other than her enchanted crystal.  Slowly, a sort of vapor coalesced before her.  The pale fog continued to increase in size, swirling and merging; eventually forming the faint outline of a girl that looked to be the same age as herself.  Her own heart rate tripled, fear now taking full control of any and all functions her mind thought to keep for itself.  As the girl before her formed completely, smiling gently at her with blank eyes, Emily broke her previous promise.
	Her mouth opened, but she failed to vocalize any sort of rational thought or word, instead forming a low shriek.  When the apparition’s smile reversed, an empty expression of concern taking its place, Emily bolted.  She ran as fast as she could, throat now raw from continuing to scream the entire time.  She didn’t care though – the more distance she put between herself and the wraith, the better.
	She continued to run at full speed, her legs burning with more action than they’d seen in years, finally threatening to give out.  Her scream petered out just in time for her luck to betray her once more as she tripped over a raised root.  Gasping for air as she rolled over, her light illuminated the underside of the canopies.
	And the specter’s form hovering above her.
	She screamed again, swatting at the being above her, her hands waving through May harmlessly.  May’s concerned expression formed words, but Emily wouldn’t hear them.  This was all some horrible dream set onto her by her sister – it had to be.
	 “Stop it!” the ghost pleaded, risking a glance around the forest before returning her gaze to the flailing girl below her.  “Please, they’ll hear you!”  Her pleas fell on deaf ears though, Emily continuing to scream as loud as she could muster.  May knew what she needed to do, but she didn’t like it.  The last girl that came through the forest did the same thing, and now she was in trouble.  If this girl didn’t quiet down, she’d be next.  Looking down at herself, May considered her options one more time; surely there was a less invasive method?
	Sensing the snap of a far off branch told her otherwise.  She looked up from her position, searching for the source.  Another crisp snap echoed through the trees, and she knew her time was up.  Wincing, she let herself drop down into the screaming body of Emily.
	Emily of course, objected.
	The sensation was a combination of familiar and alien sensations, all bombarding her at once.  Something took hold of her bones – no, her being.  Her already exasperated breathing shortened as the icy feeling spread from her chest.  She shrieked, hands patting her chest, poking and tugging at her clothing; all of which served to aggravate her condition further once she realized she couldn’t feel her body.  No, that wasn’t quite right… She was still aware of her body, but everything was numb.  It was like she’s slept funny, and now her entire body was tingly with resistance.
	The numbness spread throughout the rest of her frame quickly, overtaking any and all awareness she had of the outside world.  She could only barely feel her body, but it would not obey her.  She tried to look around – find the specter – but succeeded only in disturbing herself further.  Instead of looking around, her head looked down at her hands.  She could see them moving, turning over and flexing – yet she could not feel it.  As though some surreal dream, she tried to scream again, only to have her field of vision suddenly blurred.  Her head had moved unexpectedly towards some point in the forest – eyes focusing on some distant mark.
	Her eyes moved without her consent, eventually landing on her bosom.  Despite her urge to panic, her body would not obey.  She tried desperately to move of her own accord; anything to get away from her now shaking state.  Rather than push her up or roll over, her hands clutched at her chest while she gasped.  The blurring of her vision only increased her anxiety.  Whatever she had done to deserve this, the cost of repent was surely not beyond her means.
	Her surroundings began spinning, but she did not become dizzy.  Instead, she watched the images swirl in awe, a blur of color that seemed to inch closer and closer.  As the colors spun faster and faster, a pressure built in her chest.  Then, something new hit her – she could feel!  Her body was shaking violently now, thrusting up and down as panic interrupted her trance.   The images hit about the same time the rest of her body did, giving Emily the sense that she’d just fallen and lost her breath.  Coughing, she rolled over to wheeze in some fresh air.  Her fingers tingled, her chest hurt and the ache her head was shoveling into the mix was not helping.
	“Oh good, you’re awake.”  Emily blinked.  She hadn’t said that.  Right?  “I knew you’d be scared.”  Emily’s hands went to her mouth, covering it as more words echoed in her ears.  “No, it’s not you.  Remember?”  The girl gasped as a memory was pushed up in her mind, demanding attention.  It was when she was on her back, a fine mist above her… No, that’s not right.  It wasn’t a mist, it was something else.  “Listen, I’ll explain everything later, but right now you have to trust me.”
	“Who—“ Emily started to ask, words seeming to get caught in her throat.  She tried to start speaking again, only to find an odd, cotton sensation filling her mouth.
	“I said I’ll explain later.  For now you’re going to have to trust me.”  Protests tried to make their way out of her mouth, but the other voice whispered over her own thoughts.  “I can’t do everything for you, but I can give you a head start.”  With a grunt, Emily found herself standing against the tree.  Looking down, she watched in utter disbelief as her leg moved without her approval.  “A little help here?  Please?”
	Emily panicked, hands running over their opposite arms.  She wanted to scream, but she couldn’t find her voice.  Back pedaling into yet another tree, she continued to attempt to push whatever was in her out of her body.  There was no way in the isles she was about to listen to something that had moved into… her.
	“I told you I’d explain later!” Hearing the voice in her ears returned her hands to her head, a futile attempt to exclude any thoughts not her own.  “If you don’t listen to me, we’re both going to die!”  This got Emily’s attention.  Panting heavily, she slowly moved her hands from her ears.  Holding herself, she sniffled.  “Please.  I can at least get us safe.”  No.  No, this wasn’t right.
       “You’re being unreasonable!” May’s voice echoed again.  Emily pushed aside the silly thought – it was her body, not May’s!  Emily wrapped her arms around her torso, clutching tightly at the fabric that shielded her from the cool evening.  Again, she opened her mouth to scream and, again, she found her words choked away by a force she couldn’t see.
       “I told you, if you scream, we’re both dead!”  No.  No, this is some kind of trickery to kick her out of her own body!  Why would a ghost fear death?!  Emily closed her eyes, shutting out everything she could to focus on taking back what was rightfully hers, and hers alone.  Opening her mouth, she again started to scream.  This time, when the silencing force poured itself into her throat, she was not deterred.  Instead, she continued to scream in spite of the lack of sound being produced.
       “Stop it!” May’s voice hissed, ringing loudly in her ears.  “Stop it now!”  But no matter how loud May whined, Emily continued to scream.  If it was a battle of wits this demon wanted, it was a battle she would get.  “I don’t want to fight you!” May shrieked.  Apparently, the shriek was as loud as she could muster – it had drawn enough of Emily’s attention to cease her silent scream.  Blinking her watery eyes open, she gazed out upon the forest.
       For what felt like an eternity, Emily stood silently.  The only sound her ears picked up being that of her own heavy breathing.  Nothing in the forest.  Nothing else in her head.  She barely registered the gentle flow of wind through the dying leaves.  Slowly, her now aching arms released her from the restraint she’d placed upon herself.  Clenching each fist experimentally, Emily reached up to her throat.
       Every time she had been silenced, there was a feeling of cotton being stuffed in her throat.  Probing with her fingers, she found nothing out of the ordinary.  No cotton, no indentations of hands or monstrous tentacles or anything of the like.  Silently, she hoped to herself that her own voice would once more grace her ears.
       “Hello?” came the crackly, dry noise.  Wetting her mouth, she repeated the experiment, her own babble resounding throughout the forest like it had previously.  She’d done it.  She was once more the only one in her body now, right?  Slowly she turned, gazing throughout the forest to try and find the wispy evidence of the spirit she’d encountered previously.  Upon completing her slow survey, she uttered a hefty, “Finally” and leaned against a nearby tree.
       Now she just had to get back home.
       No no no, that’s not right!  The whole reason she came out here was to find Isabelle – she’d come too far to just give up.  The slight chill reminded her just where she was – and how utterly alone she was.  Even if the ghost had just been a figment of her imagination, it was still rather unsettling to think that something could unnerve the undead like that.
       “Don’t worry Isabell,” Emily whispered, “I’ll find you.” Ghosts or not, she wasn’t about to see what happened to her sister when she died.  The haunting alone would be enough to drive her to her own early grave.  The only problem holding her back now was location.  Looking up, she could see a teensy bit of the starry sky above – no longer obscured by clouds.
       If she could find a clearing, she might be able to find the moons!  Gias willing, she’d find her sister.  Her sister might not survive the encounter after all this though… Shrugging off the violent thoughts, Emily dusted herself off and began walking.  Without knowing where she was, it was her best bet in happening across a clearing.
       Of course, the journey wouldn’t be that easy for her.  While the wind was a bit chilly, it wasn’t near cold enough to make her body react the way it was – she shouldn’t be shivering like that.  Instead, she found a particular warmth tingling at her inner thighs.  Taking a deep breath, she restrained herself from exploring the sensation with her hands, instead trudging along and trying to focus on walking.
       The more she ignored it though, the more her body began to demand her attention.  Her nipples were now harder than she’d ever remembered being able to get them.  Aching for attention, Emily bit her lip and slowly continued her journey forward.  The sensation between her legs hadn’t gone away either; rather, its intensity had spiked tenfold.
       Panting heavily, Emily stopped to rest at the nearest tree she could find.  Her throat was becoming raspy again, forcing such high volumes of air in and out.  Leaning against the tree, both hands went to her breasts, each clasping a nipple and pinching.  Her initial plan to out-pain her arousal backfired, triggering a sudden rush of attention to her nethers.
       Her own juices began to soak her panties – eventually reaching the point that she had no other choice but to tear one of her hands away from her breasts.  She hiked her dress up, hand diving into her panties to find her attention seeking flesh.  While she only inserted one of her fingers, it felt almost like there were whole hands inside of her!  Rubbing her flesh, she slid down the tree to a sitting position.
       Her second finger now knuckle deep into her folds, she could only shudder as the sensation of the hands increased to a more aggressive approach.  Slight worry overtook her for a moment, realizing that one hand was still abusing her breast.  Physically, there was no possible way for both of her hands to be making those kinds of sensations inside of her body right now.
       Pulling her fingers out, she examined the sticky digits.  Her examination turned to a worried gasp as the assault on her genitalia continued without her.  Breathing now increasing in pitch and pace, she attempted to focus on her fingers.  She’d never been fond of the idea of tasting her own juices, but her hand was moving towards her mouth.
       She tried to stop the actions, a mixture of disgust and curiosity swirling around in her mind.  Before she could truly comprehend what was going on, both of her fingers slipped into her mouth.  She hadn’t thought about it until now, but she’d been apparently salivating at the thought.  Her own tongue seemed to disobey her will to pull her fingers out, dancing on them and licking the juices clean.
       The musky flavor of her fluids now dominated her mouth, distracting her from her increasingly abusive hand on her breast.  It was squeezing, groping - almost twisting the poor mammary; all while her completely covered lower sexual organs continued to be assaulted by an unknown force.
       Her fingers finally pulled out of her mouth, a thin trail of saliva sliding down her bosom.  Heaving as the activity of her own other hand continued in tandem with the activity in her nethers, she looked at her now clean fingers before swallowing the juices she’d licked off of them.  She shuddered with disgust, while a sense of sated curiosity helped urge forward an impending orgasm.
       “So that’s what you taste like,” her mouth said.  Licking her lips, her throat performed the action of swallowing again; her now saliva drenched hand heading back down for round two.  Her stomach twisted as fear and rage set in, but she failed to scream or stop herself.  Instead, the strange sense of fulfilled curiosity from finally tasting her own juices pushed the rage aside, leaving nothing but fear to stand in the way of her building pleasure.
       Emily panted, her will to control her body diminishing in favor of simply riding the pleasure.  As her hands moved of their own accord, soaking in her juices, the focal point of her pleasure consumed her.  For right then – that very moment – she wanted nothing more than to simply fizzle out into a blissful oblivion.
       It would’ve ended at that, too, had she not been sharing her body with a certain specter.  May continued to play with Emily’s body, exploring the requirements and restraints that came with having a solid body once more.  While Emily may have very well been tasting her own cum, May had no way to experience that.  So long as two souls shared the same body, one would always be dominant over the other.
       Instead, May found herself tasting Emily’s soul – her response to Emily’s taste was genuine, just not what Emily was interpreting it as.  While Emily was busy riding an orgasm, May was figuring up her new strategy.  She was nowhere near powerful enough to absorb the girl in her own body.  But, if she could get her soul separated from her body…
       “Now, let’s get going,” May said, more to herself than to Emily.  Moving her legs, May pushed Emily’s soul back further, taking the girl’s distraction while she could.  She knew about where she was, and so long as the human was wrapped up in her own pleasures, she could get to where she needed to go.  There was a particular dryad that wouldn’t mind helping her out…
       Of course, it was all good in theory.  She had to spend most of her energy keeping Emily’s soul repressed, and she wasn’t going to have much time to recharge.  The need to rest was going to be her failure.  It would be easier if she could convince the girl to relinquish control willingly, but she at least had a backup plan.  And she only needed to control Emily’s fingers to instigate the plan.


       Her head pounding, Emily fought at the haze currently clouding her vision.  The cool air of the forest helped to wake her from the apparent slumber she’d slipped into, but it wasn’t quite enough to pull her body back up as well.  The tingling sensation normally followed by sleeping on a limb too long flourished throughout her body as she stirred.  Aches and pains began to voice themselves as feeling returned to her extremities.
       It was funny, really – she was just waking up, and already wanted nothing more than to eat a warm meal and sleep for who knows how long.  To further add to her confusion, the sun was now high in the sky, peaking at her through the brightly colored leaves of the canopy.  Eventually she found the energy to sit up and take in her surroundings.
       As it happens, being lost in the forest with little to guide you save for the celestial bodies didn’t exactly enhance her predicament.  Rubbing her eyes, she found her vision no longer clouded.  If she’d had time to consider her options, she would’ve done so, but her body once more had other plans.  The first time she heard the noise, she wasn’t entirely convinced the forest was dead.
       The second time around though, the growl in her belly was accompanied by a gentle tremble of her skin.  She was absolutely starving!  Just how long had she been in the forest?  Having a new sense of urgency scratching at the back of her mind, Emily tried to focus on getting home.  With any luck, her sister had made it home or had at least been found by now.  She had little choice regardless – she was not as well trained on forest vegetation as her sister.  Not knowing what berries to eat and which ones to make poison with left her in a bit of a sticky situation.
       “One that I can help you get out of.”
       Is this some kind of sick joke?  Can she not simply be alone with her body once more?  The idea of having her thoughts to herself once more was infuriatingly appealing.  She wanted her body to be her own again, and she was growing tired of this spiritual skirmish.  Feeling a primal instinct bubble up, Emily growled.
       The growl was something she hadn’t done before – not with any sort of serious intention anyway.  But it felt good.  It felt like the only right response she had to being forced to share her body.  Falling forward onto her hands, she growled again, this time half-forming a word.  It felt better still, and she could tell there was an uneasiness growing within her that was not her own.
       “What are you do-,” May half-started.  For the first time, she was the one confused.  Nothing she’d ever possessed before had done this.  What frightened her further however, was the completion of the sentence she had started.
       “Out,” came the throaty growl of a word.  Blinking, Emily coughed as though something had been caught in her throat, and her body accepted the primal urge again.  “Get out,” she said, control over her mouth regained.  The uneasy feeling within her only served to boost her determination.  “Get out!” she repeated, this time yelling.  This was likely the first time a human had frightened a specter that was possessing them.
       Disturbed by the reaction, May recessed herself as far away from Emily’s soul as she could.  There was a power there that was much stronger than she was, and it was wild.  The truly terrifying aspect of her new predicament though, was that Emily probably wasn’t aware of the power, or how to control it.
       Panting, Emily tried to focus as the uneasiness faded.  Had… had she done it?  Sitting back up, she wiped a bit of drool from her lips, not entirely sure what had just happened.  Whatever it was, she was left feeling much better than before.  She was still hungry, but the paramount display she’d performed left her feeling energetic.  She would have to talk to her father about this experience when she returned home.
       A bit of pip in her step now, Emily looked up and tried to find her bearings.  The sun was close to high noon – having either just passed it or preparing to arrive at it.  Performing the trick her sister had taught her, she held her hands straight out to either side.  Taking a chance, she turned towards what she hoped to be south.
       Running off of the surprising burst of energy she’d built up with that display, she dropped into a dead run.  Her body was hers again.  Not only that, but now she knew that she wasn’t just some helpless victim to this ghost.  She could fight back – repel it even!
       As her sprint died down to a tired jog, the lack of having any food really started to take its toll on the girl.  Her stomach growled heartily, pulling the quiet forest back to the forefront of her mind.  Berries, poison or not, were swiftly becoming an all too tempting option.  If there was any wildlife left in the forest, it knew how to hide from the most ravenous of predators.
       Catching her breath at the thick trunk of a nearby oak, Emily looked around for something – anything to eat.  A collection of nearby bushes finally entangled her attention, the faint glisten of colors other than green just visible in the sunlight.  Approaching the bush, she dropped to her knees to investigate it further.  Shiny red berries twinkled back at her, eager to be plucked from their stems.
       While it had been impossible for her to know, May was still just as present as she’d ever been, observing the foolish girl’s actions from a safe distance.  She was still occupying Emily’s body, but was managing to conceal herself from that primal power that had pushed her back before.  While powerful, the girl still didn’t know how to control it.  Even if she did, it was an unrefined primal power – it would take years of training to hone it and bend it to her will.
       A raw, uncontrolled power like that deserved as much respect as May could muster; but she wasn’t about to let Emily kill herself in this forest.  While a death by poison would get her soul out of her body, she needed something more precise and controlled.  It took effort and care to extract a soul from its body, if not a tremendous amount of raw power.  If Emily died without care, the power within her and her soul would simply be drawn to Gias.
       No, if May wanted Emily’s soul and power to herself, she needed help.  Luckily, she knew of life that hadn’t been touched by the gluttonous monster that befell the forest.  Apparently, the creature wasn’t all that interested in a somewhat vegetarian meal.  One way or the other though, she knew where the dryad was.  She’d helped her with Isabelle, what was another human?
       Given Emily’s undeterred attempt to consume the rather poisonous berries before her, May had to act fast.  Instead of trying to force Emily to do her bidding, now fully aware of the untapped power within her, May decided to go for a more… persuasive approach.  Just before her hand touched the berry, an incredibly strong scent overwhelmed the poor girl.
       Blinking, Emily slowly tried to figure out exactly what had just happened.  Something so staggeringly sweet had taken all of her attention from the potential food at hand.  Experimentally, she sniffed again, the smell still there, but at the whim of the wind.  Standing up, she attempted to find the source of the aroma.  Her head, starved for energy, eagerly put pictures of every sweet, juicy fruit she’d ever had.  Each mashed with another, trying to piece together the elusive puzzle of what this fruit could be.
       May however, was hard at work.  It had been a long time since she’d had to put this much effort into what was essentially a good meal.  Every combination Emily conjured up, May would suggest something slightly different.  While the girl latched onto the new idea, the specter would quickly dispose of the previous.  Juggling eight or nine different ideas with Emily’s own was proving difficult, but it was keeping her occupied while May tried to remember where the nearest dryad-fruit was.
       Fortunately, it seemed that May had remembered just enough of what the fruit smelled like to get Emily started on a somewhat accurate path.  Without further help from the specter, Emily had already spotted and was now trying to acquire one of the apple-like fruits.  Emily was fortunate enough to have just the right amount of clearance when she jumped to snag one of the succulent fruits.
       Good thing too, as the apple was almost in her mouth before she was back on the ground.  The taste was something she’d never experienced before, and the first swallow made all of May’s work worth it.  She relinquished her hold on Emily’s senses, the potent nature of the fruit working its course.  Satisfied that Emily wouldn’t leave without stuffing her face, May took a moment to herself to rest.
       Peering through Emily’s eyes as she devoured the apple, May admired the subtlety of the tree.  It was no small coincidence that the plant was nearly identical to the others in the forest; nor was the similarity of the dryad-fruit to apples.  If the dryad had been one to converse a bit more, perhaps she would know more about them.  Whatever the case, the specter was certain that the dryad would not fail her now.
       Emily knew something was wrong.  She knew, without a doubt in her mind, that her heart shouldn't be racing at the thought of consuming another one of those apples.  But after spending the night in the forest, without anything to eat other than whatever fickle memory she had for lunch the day before... to put it lightly, she simply didn't care at the moment.
       Once the first apple had been devoured to its core, the girl took a moment to rest.  Laying down on the forest floor, she looked up at the blessing from Gias.  This apple tree had saved her, no matter how conflicted the fruit made her feel after eating it.
       Emily had never seen a Gias blessing in form before, only heard stories about them.  Warriors that had been given the last boost of strength they needed to defeat an enemy, villages that had seen crops flourish after an offering, even a wild traveler who claimed that his son had been taken to the Isles themselves by a mystical creature of untold power.
       She'd always thought of them as merely stories, yet here one was.  As if the tree had seen her thoughts, one of the branches shook, snapping an apple that would fall neatly next to Emily.  Without hesitation, she sat up and grabbed the fruit.  Biting into it violently, the sensations overwhelmed her once more.  She wanted more of this fruit, and if the tree was willing to simply offer it to her, she wasn't about to leave.
       As she finished devouring the second fruit, she had to pause before tossing the bare core to the side.  She'd just seen the tree do something else, as if to confirm her suspicions.  If she looked closely enough, she could make out an opening in the trunk.  In fact, if she stared harder, she could swear there was something moving just inside that opening.
       Manifesting itself, the tree did in fact open, containing a creature that was half human, but half... plant?  At least, it was humanoid in shape, and largely resembled a young woman.  The longer Emily looked, the easier the distinctions became.
       The creature looked to be just a bit taller than she was, and she most certainly had a dark, ebony tint to her skin.  Her breasts were large and voluptuous, reminding her of one of the fruit that hung above her head; but were covered by a thick network of leaves that formed a sort of natural bra.  Looking down, there was another matrix of leaves that seemed to serve as a pair of natural panties.
       What she kept coming back to however, was the skin of the creature.  It was distinctly dark, but not in a manner she had seen before.  No, the skin appeared to be smooth – too smooth for any human.  Despite the apparent texture, there was a clear resemblance of branches or roots.  Like they were wrapping around each other to form her body.  That thought was the last she had before she convinced herself she was losing her mind.  Then, the creature began to speak.
       “Hello, Emily,” the being began.  “I am called Asari, and I am a messenger of Gias.”  The core that Emily had been holding slipped from her fingers, rolling away as Asari stepped from the tree.  “I am what your people call a dryad, and Gias has given me the task of protecting this forest and all who inhabit it.”
       Emily gulped, now fully aware of how she must appear before a messenger of Gias.  Without any sort of doubt in her mind, she was certain that this Asari was telling the truth.
       “I see you have been enjoying my fruit,” the dryad continued, kneeling down to pick up one of the discarded cores.  She casually placed the discarded remains of the fruit in her mouth and swallowed.  Emily watched the large lump slide down her throat, barely a bulge before disappearing into her chest.  She crawled forward, leaning down to press Emily back onto the ground.  Her ample chest was firm, her skin just as smooth as Emily had guessed when it touched her own.
       “The fruit would not have called you here unless you needed my assistance,” Asari continued, now in a more hushed tone.  “So tell me,” she continued, leaning down to kiss the girl before continuing.  “What is it you need help with?”
       Emily could not form a response.  Whatever the dryad had said, she would have agreed with, if only to taste more of her incredible kiss.  The flavor was that of the apples, but far more intense.
       “Do you want to see the Isles of Gias?” Asari offered, leaning up to pronounce her chest.  The leaves fell to the side, exposing the dryad's hefty, impossibly perky breasts.  “Because I can take you there,” she continued, crawling up a bit further to place Emily's head between her ample bosoms.  “All you need to do is ask, and you will see the Isles, I promise.”
       Inhaling, the poor human was overpowered by the intoxicating scent that emanated from the dryad's cleavage.  The scent caused her libido to begin its tried and true patterns: nipples hardening, nether lips aching, skin crawling with excitement.  “Yes,” she muttered, licking at the dryad's chest.  “Take me to see the Isles.”
       Back in the corner of her mind, May heaved a sigh of relief.  The hardest part of her journey was now over, she simply had to let the dryad enjoy her catch.  It was a bit surreal, watching from the back seat this time.  When the first girl had submitted to the dryad, May was there edging her on; she hadn't realized just how strange the exchange was.
       Neither girl had inquired as to how Asari knew their names; neither had questioned how they would be taken to the Isles; and of course, both had asked to be taken there.  The dryad had a method, and it worked beautifully.  May would simply catch Emily's spirit and hold it long enough to deny it the journey to the Isles.  That would be the easy part – consuming it after it had been denied the Isles would be a bit more difficult.
       “The journey can wait,” the dryad stated, pulling Emily’s head back out of her cleavage.  “We can enjoy each other’s company for a bit, don’t you think?” she continued, stroking the human’s hair.  Knowing the response before it was spoken, the dryad stepped back from the human.  Shaking her chest, the leaves shook for only a moment before falling away.  The treasure they revealed was that of Asari’s nipples – darker than the rest of her flesh with an almost hollow appearance.
       “Wouldn’t you have a drink?” the dryad offered, sitting down on a root of the tree.  She patted her lap, the entranced human obediently shuffling forward.  She hadn’t gotten to enjoy her last catch as much as she wanted, so why not enjoy this one?  Once Emily was sitting on her lap, she gently took her head and presented her with a nipple.
       Asari’s breasts jiggled of their own accord for a moment, the smooth texture rippling as a molasses like substance started to ooze from the openings.  Without question or doubt, the girl began suckling.  The thick liquid wasn’t as viscous as either of them would want; a fact that did little to prevent Emily from downing impressive gulps.
       As the gooey substance flooded her throat and oozed to her stomach, Emily’s mind became numb.  She knew something was wrong, but she couldn’t place what it was.  The numbness was similar to what she had experienced when May had taken her body from her, but far more powerful.
       It was doing a much more refined job, too.  Even if she had wanted to, Emily couldn’t control her body.  No matter what command she tried to send her limbs, they did not respond.  The only thing she could do was suckle more of the sweet molasses from the breast before her, and even that was becoming more of a challenge.
       Finally, after any ability to resist had fled her body, Emily’s head fell backwards into Asari’s hand.  Laying her down on the ground, the dryad stood to examine her handiwork.  The girl had managed to swallow what had to be a gallon of the cruel liquid, ballooning her stomach up to look almost pregnant.  Figuring she had about an hour before the liquid fully hit, the dryad kneeled down and began to remove Emily’s clothing.
       “It won’t be long now,” she cooed, sliding the girl’s dress up to reveal her abused panties.  “I see the specter was a bit more aggressive with you than normal,” she chuckled, digging a finger into her sticky nether lips.  If Emily could’ve shuddered or reacted, she would’ve done so.  Instead, her heart rate increased and her now dilated eyes darted around, trying to find the dryad.
       “But that is of no concern now,” she continued.  Hoisting Emily up with an unnatural ease, Asari carried the girl back over to the tree she’d appeared from.  The tree, sensing her closeness, opened to accept the offering.  “Oh, now that won’t do,” Asari said, placing Emily inside the tree.  Reaching behind her, she pulled out a dress and held it up so that the girl could see it.  “Sorry about this, normally my travelers are keen to take their clothes with them on their journey to the Isles.”
       Something clicked inside Emily when she saw the dress.  It was all starting to make sense now.  As she was settled into the tree, Asari stood back to enjoy the next step in her meal process.  Vines curled their way up Emily’s legs and arms, unnecessarily restraining her.
       “I don’t suppose she’ll be needing this anymore,” the dryad shrugged.  “Not while she’s at the Isles.” As the vines strengthened their grip, another thick vine crawled down from above the imprisoned girl.  It found its way to her lips and easily slid past them.  Once in her mouth, the taste of those apples from before hit Emily again, and her mouth watered for more.  Further and further the vine slid, down her throat, into her stomach.
       Once the vine had pushed onward, beyond her gut, she was able to focus enough to see Asari bring the dress to her lips.  She stuffed what she could into her mouth, the orange dress disappearing into her dark, bark like lips.  Almost in time with a pressure at her rear, Emily watched as the dryad swallowed the dress though it was nothing more than a noodle.  The lump disappeared down her throat, followed by a subtle push from within Emily’s bowels.  The vine pushed through, penetrating her completely and fully, before continuing on to find the bottom of the tree.
       “Delicious,” the dryad said, rubbing her stomach.  “I hope yours is too,” she said, walking back over to the tree as it closed around Emily.  “Say hello to the ghosts for me,” she said, blowing a kiss before the tree closed completely around the girl.
       Lost in a sea of numbness, the human was powerless to stop whatever had been started now.  It was only then, numb to the world completely, that she could fully realize the absurdity of what she’d done.  She’d entered the forest to find Isabelle, and wound up finding a ghost that simply would not leave her alone.  Then, after fighting possession, she’d found a dryad that claimed to be a messenger of Gias; drank from her bosom; and wound up inside a tree.
       The last words Asari had spoken to her continued to ring around in her head, drowning out all other thought.  Before she could dwell on what had happened though, she found herself being shaken away from her thoughts.
       “Quickly!” the irritably familiar voice called, followed by a terrible prickling sensation.  “Stop trying to fight me and get out of there!  Do you want to go to the Isles or not?”  The prickling sensation grew to a terrible yank, then on to an even crueler ripping.  Though she felt weak and violated, she could see again.  Looking around wildly, Emily tried to adjust to her new senses.  Or rather, lack thereof.  Finally, after spinning around a few times, she found a familiar hollow face.
       “May?”  The specter nodded, her expression riddled with sorrow.  “But, ghosts can’t touch humans,” she pondered, taking a step back.  As more of May came into view, Emily began to focus, recalling the rather rapid past few events.  “Wait,” she said, looking around.  “Then I’m-“
       “As dead as I am,” came the sunken response.  “I tried to warn you, but when you ate the apple, the battle was lost.”
       “No,” Emily said, shaking her head.  “No, this can’t be right.  If I’m dead, then I should be at the Isles.”
       “Well,” May picked up, eyeing up her new ‘meal’ before continuing.  “That would be my fault.  If death is interrupted at the right time, a ghost can pull a spirit from their journey.”
       “You,” Emily paused, a familiar rage building within her.  “You denied me my birthright.  You denied me my place at the Isles!” The new specter curled her hands to fists, an unnatural glow starting to emanate from within her.  “You denied me my sister!” she shouted, rage continuing to build.
       “I did not deny you your sister,” May assured.  “She’s part of me now, her essence making me more powerful.  She lives on through me, just as you will.”  The specter feigned confidence, but the glow reminded her of the unfamiliar raw power she’d seen in Emily prior.  If she was going to take this girl’s essence before her own, she would need to do it now.
       She didn’t get the chance though.  Emily’s rage had peaked, her entire spirit glowing brightly; so much so that it had caught the attention of Asari.  The dryad stepped back, watching the two ghosts argue and yell.  Normally it was a futile event, followed by May winning over and absorbing the newly released spirit.  This time though, she saw something she hadn’t seen in a long time.
       “May you fool,” she hissed, never taking her eyes off of Emily.  “Don’t you know what she is?”
       “Just tell me already,” May responded, annoyed by her partner’s pronoun game.
       “She’s a ward of Gias,” the dryad continued, continuing to step back.  As she spoke, Emily’s spirit seemed to solidify, her eyes glowing brightly as she started her approach towards May.  “She was marked for protection by a messenger of the Isles.”
       “So?” May shrugged, not paying attention to the rapidly approaching Emily.  Before the dryad could answer, the specter felt something.  Actually felt something, like she did before she’d passed.  Looking down to her wrist, she found Emily’s hand wrapped firmly around it.  Looking up to find Emily, she wasn’t given the chance to scream.
       Of all the spirits she’d absorbed, all the fools she’d led to doom, she’d never actually been scared for herself.  When one of the curled fists struck her on the cheek, she felt an immeasurable amount of pain.  Instinctively, she cringed and tried to pull away from the assaulting ghost.
       Emily would have none of that though.  She grabbed May’s other hand, restraining the specter before her own ghostly figure.  Power within her that had scared May off the first time bellowed throughout her being now.  Without really thinking about it, she opened her mouth and closed the distance between herself and May.
       Asari watched from her tree, having fallen back onto her rear in a panic.  She watched in muted horror as one ghost ripped the essence from another.  May shriveled and screamed, her shrieks echoing helplessly through the forest as her diminishing soul was absorbed into Emily.
	One bright flash of light later, and the grueling event had ended.  Floating above Asari was but one ghost, albeit different from what she had previously seen.  It wasn’t May as she had typically seen, but the girl she had just devoured in her tree.  Suddenly, the dress she had consumed earlier wasn’t sitting quite so well in her stomach.

	Emily panted, a muscle memory lingering from her previous life.  She no longer needed air, but something about the action felt good, despite its uselessness.  Though she knew what she had done, she wasn’t sure how she had done it.  Her body – no, her being felt different.  Not better or worse, simply different.
	Adjusting to her tinted vision, Emily felt herself drift down and touch the ground.  Looking around, she still felt very much alive.  Were it not for the opacity of her body, she wouldn’t have believed she was a ghost either.  But, being a ghost, she should be able to go through things, right?
	Why hadn’t she fallen through the ground?
	She would have to ponder that later though, shock settling in that she was in fact a specter.  Finding the tree that she had ended in, she walked over to it and placed her hands upon it.  Rather, she would have, had her hands not simply passed through the bark.  Yanking them out quickly, she backed away from the tree.

	“P-please,” came a voice not her own, “don’t hurt me.”
	The voice sounded familiar.  Looking around, she found the source of the voice was, in fact, familiar.  Emily’s form wholly turned to face the dryad, recent events flooding back to her.  Had she not said anything, Emily might not have noticed her at all; instead she was now reminded that Asari had ultimately been responsible for her demise.
	“You killed me,” she said plainly, taking a step away from the dryad.  “You planned this.”  The ebony creature shuffled backwards, tripping over one of her own trees roots in her panic.  “Why?” Emily finally mustered.  She wanted to weep, but her new form would not allow that function. “Why me?”
	Asari panted heavily, still terrified of what power she had just unleashed unto the world.  A wayward charge of Gias would have an incredible amount of power at its disposal.  “I needed to eat,” she finally said, shakily getting to her feet.
“But why me?” Emily repeated, bewilderment lacing her words.  “Why my sister?”
	“I do not choose who wanders into my den,” the dryad replied, eager to shy away from being involved with May.  Emily’s cold, confused stare urged a further explanation from the woodland creature.  “The forest has changed,” she said, mouth unnaturally dry.  “It used to be full of life – I would take what I needed and give back in tandem.”
	Emily continued to stare, still not making a connection on how this tale could possibly relate to her new state.
	“Something came and upheaved that balance.  Something of a forest yonder – a drider.”  Asari shuddered, recalling having seen the beast through her network of nature.  “She is ravenous without care.  By the time the humans had driven her out of the forest, it was too late.”
	The phantasm that was Emily followed along silently, becoming enthralled in the story she had only heard rumors about in her village.
	“I had a balance with the forest, and she eradicated it.  A ghost of one of her first victims offered to help me catch meals – to keep me alive.”
	“May.”
	“Yes.  She brought food into my trap, and I made no resistance when she targeted the souls of my food.  There is not enough left in this forest to sustain me – I had to do something, or die,” Asari said, flinching at the weight of the last word.  In fact, she had chosen to take Emily’s life rather than forfeit her own.
	Emily shuddered, hovering a few inches off the ground.  It was the only reaction she could think of that would equate to crying.  “A single drider caused all of this?” she asked, voice still unstable.
	“She was powerful, and held no remorse or respect for the forest.”
	“Where is she now?”
	“I do not know.  She was run out of the forest by the humans after they found her burrow.”
“I must find her.  She will pay for what she has done,” Emily said, her eyes glowing a dull red.  When she turned to look at Asari, her words stopped in her throat.  The expression on the dryad’s face was all she needed to know about how she looked right now.  “I’m,” she paused, words muddled before her.  “I’m becoming a monster, like May,” she finally said, looking down to her transparent hands.
	Asari said nothing.  Though she was of the forest, she still knew nothing of Emily’s powers.  She had questioned the existence of Gias – the worship of some Isles; yet in this very moment, she knew without a doubt in her mind that she was speaking to a ward.  Instead of pondering why this girl would be a ward, she was instead considering her escape routes.  She was on the verge of leaving this forest before May approached her, and now seemed like as good a time as any.
	“Please,” the specter said.  “I don’t want this,” she continued.  Unable to tear up, she fell to her knees.  Wrapping her arms around her body, Emily shivered.
	“You have one of the most awesome gifts known to any being – living or dead – and you would wish it away?” the dryad said, dumbfounded.  “Do you know anything of the power you have been dealt?”
	“I did not choose it!” Emily shrieked, standing again.  She rose a few inches off the ground, fists clenched.
	“If you did not choose it, how then did you become a ward of the Isles?”
	“Will you stop calling me that?”
	“It is what you are!”
	“How?  Why?  Why me and not my sister?” Emily said, voice quivering.
	“I do not know,” Asari said, chest creaking with each exasperated breath.  “But I will help you find out,” she said.  This caught Emily’s attention, bringing her back from her panic.  “I owe you that much."  Emily simply held her place, floating a few inches off the ground.  Her eyes dulled back to the hollow stare they had acquired at her death, looking more and more like a lost soul.  The predicament was beginning to ensnare the dryad, even her roots beginning to itch for movement.  “Unless you do not wish to know?” she finally offered, attempting to end this wretched nightmare before it was allowed to continue.
	“I do,” Emily finally said, looking up from the ground her gaze had been lost in.  “When can we begin?”
	“I’ve already had my meal,” the dryad said, realizing all too late the act she had just referenced.  Not giving it time to settle, she hastily changed the subject.  “Perhaps your family would know?” she offered, eager to avoid her previous faux pas.
	“What makes you so sure I’m a ‘ward of the Isles’?”
	“There is a power within you, the likes of which I have not seen in a long time.”
	“I don’t want to talk about what I did to May.”
	“It is how I am sure you are a ward!” Asari insisted, continuing despite Emily’s protest.  “You have an incredible power within you – the kind that only a messenger of the Isles can bestow.  Had I not witnessed your assault on May firsthand, I would not believe it myself.”
	“I’ve never met a messenger of the Isles!  Even if I had, I would remember becoming a ward, wouldn’t I?” Emily yelled, a mixture of fear and retaliatory anger stewing within her.
	“Not if you were put under the protection at a young age.  A question your family will be able to answer!”
	Emily held her place, the dryad’s argument settling in.  The more she thought about it, the more it started to make sense.  How else would she have survived May’s attack?  Let alone take revenge on her?  Still, the idea that her family should choose herself over Isabella was one that was settling in on her anger.
	“It doesn’t make sense,” she finally said, a sturdy anger still simmering.  “My family would never choose me over my sister.”
	“They may not have had a choice.”
	“They would not allow it!” Emily argued, her voice rising again.
	“Your parents would stop a messenger of the Isles?”
	“They would not allow it!” the specter repeated, her eyes the same burning red Asari had seen just before May had met her fate.
	“Girl, listen to me,” the dryad started, trying to avoid another encounter.  Instead, Emily snapped.  The ghost lunged at Asari, flying through with an incredible force.  The dryad clenched, fearing the worst as the warm sensation washed over her chest.
	Realizing she was merely feeling discomfort, the dryad opened her eyes again.  She felt her chest as the heat dissipated, thanking Gias that she had lived.  After she was done counting her blessings, she turned around to find Emily.
	“Girl?” she asked, looking over the seemingly frozen specter.  She was facing away from the dryad, face hidden by her own opaque body.  “Girl, are you okay?”  Emily turned, her eyes mashed into a confused, angry stare.  If she could have cried, Asari was certain she would be.
	“What am I?” she finally croaked out, looking down to her hands.  The dryad said nothing, not wanting to stir up any more trouble.  At this point, she wasn’t sure herself what Emily was.  “I,” the ghost said, choking on the word.  “I tried to kill you.”
	“You did no harm to me.”
	“I was full of anger.  So much anger and hate – I could only think about hurting you.”
	“Do not fret, girl-“
	“You don’t understand!” Emily shrieked.  “This is not me!  Before I d-“ she paused, forcing the next word out, “died, I had never thought about killing someone!”  The mist like substance that seemed to make up Emily shook for a moment – briefly losing shape before returning to her previous form.  It was the closest she could come to sobbing in her new state.
	Asari said nothing, choosing to let the girl agonize uninterrupted.  “I never wanted this,” Emily continued, choking on the words despite any need for air.  As the burning red in her eyes dulled away to a flicker at her core, the dryad felt something in her chest.  Where she assumed the specter had done no damage, there was now charred, red flesh.
	“No,” the dryad gasped, clutching at her burnt bark.  “No, this can’t be happening.”
	“What’s wrong?”
	“What did you do to me?!” Asari whimpered.  She could feel soft, hot flesh where her cool bark should be.
	“I didn’t want to do any of this!” the specter answered, moving closer to the dryad.
	“It hurts,” she gasped.  The smooth bark that remained around her new wound creaked, hardening.  “Help me.”  Emily watched in horror as the dryad that had previously devoured her fell to the ground.
	“W-what do I do?” she asked, kneeling down.
	“Don’t touch me!” the ebony creature croaked.  Rescinding her hand, the spirit churned in thought.  She would not be responsible for another death – not even the one of her predator.  She had to find help.
	“We can go to my village,” she suggested, thinking of the medicine man there.
	“They will kill me faster than this will,” Asari spat, leaning against a tree.
	“Not if they see me.  I can convince them to-“
	“And what will they do when they learn I am responsible for killing you?”
	“We have to try!” Emily countered, mist jittering at her edges.  “I won’t let you die – I won’t kill you!”