<div style="text-align: justify;">Angelique couldn’t stop staring at the fireplace. An intense sense of uneasiness was bothering her, and she couldn’t simply convince herself that it was all in her head. Having Alex by her side was a comfort, and Angie patted the dog’s head gently with a sigh. “Thanks for being here, girl”, she muttered softly, unable to turn her gaze away from the cold fireplace. <br/><br/>It took her a moment to notice that there was someone else in the room - this time, someone visible, made out of flesh and blood. Kyle’s voice made Angelique relax a little and turn to face him. It was clear in her expression that she was puzzled and scared, but she didn’t speak right away. <br/><br/>Her gaze, fixed upon Kyle, made clear that she was waiting for some shred of rationality to come from him. His comment about how she looked made Angelique sigh. He could have said anything else but the word <span style="text-decoration: underline">ghost</span>, couldn’t he? Taking a moment to be her own rock of rationality, Angelique repeated silently to herself <span style="font-style: italic">‘Ghosts aren’t real’</span>, before finally turning to face Kyle and turning her back to the fireplace.<br/><br/>“It’s okay”, Angelique finally replied when she found her voice back. When Kyle stepped closer to the fireplace, Angie took a step back to allow him to close the flue, trying not to look inside the fireplace again. Squeezing Kyle’s hand gently when he took hers, Angelique nodded. Feeling a chill down her spine when she heard those light footsteps again for a second, Angelique stepped closer to Kyle, seeking for the safety and warmth his presence brought her.<br/><br/>“Bed sounds like a great idea”, she replied, using her free hand to scratch behind Alex’s ear as a silent way of thanking the dog for sticking around by her side. “Come on, girl”, Angelique continued, looking at the staircase. “I think we should take it easy on the wine from now on”, she completed, letting Kyle lead her upstairs. <br/><br/>On the way back to the room they would be sharing - either for the night or for the rest of her stay, Angelique wasn’t sure -, Angie took a peek at the room where she had left her bags, and had the impression of seeing something - or someone - in there, but preferred not to say anything. She had acted crazy enough for one day, probably. Once back in the room, Angie picked out the side of the bed farther away from the door, and slid under the covers, waiting for Kyle to get to bed as well to snuggle close to him. “Good night, baby”, she murmured gently. Her mind added <span style="font-style: italic">‘please, stay close to me’</span>, but she didn’t verbalize it. The last thing she wanted was to look even crazier than she already had.</div>