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It was Nolan who replied this time "I tried, Joseph," he murmured behind me "Chantel and I tried and… it wasn’t worth it Trust me"

I whirled on him, stunned He’d barely been here a day How the heck can he have given up so quickly? I felt a sense of frustration--even anger--toward hi so spineless

"We tried to flee for the exit," Chantel ht us and they…" Her voice choked up again

"What did they do?" I de closer to the couple

Nolan shook his head, while Chantel buried her head in her wispy hands "Don’t make us talk about it," he rasped "Please, Joseph, just take our word for it"

I twisted to face the elderly wohouls do to those who attempt escape?"

As helpful as the woly, she too becaaze around the rest of the hapless ghosts in this pond All was quiet by now as they listened in to our conversation "What do they do?" I shouted Anger overtook me as none offered up an answer

How can they all be such wier toward these poor, unfortunate souls They’d done nothing to har my actions Beneath my heated temperament was ice-cold fear

I cast houl had been hovering to er see his shadow loo I could only assume that he’d moved elsewhere

I atte the old woain "None of us are bound by chains We have free houls," the woman finished for me "And for your information, the only reason that they don’t chain us is because, again like fish, they like to see us roa about That is also why they like to have a constant influx of ghosts, to decorate their chahosts who drain out get shifted doer, out of sight Because what attraction is there to a bloated, un fish? I also have a suspicion that they enjoy the chase when a ghost disobeys their will… I’m sure they also enjoy the discipline that follows"

"What do you mean by discipline?"

"Just trust me when I say you don’t want to find out" The wo I was a ghost A spirit, barely even existing I’d given up the confinees I had left in this half life was that I was ethereal… and yet not so ethereal that ghouls and fae couldn’t touch me…