Ghosts from the past

Once we were done eating the simple yet enjoyable meal, Dahlia and I bought two suitcases and went back to our hotel room to store everything. She was getting more and more nervous, but I tried to reassure her the best I could.

"I'm here for you, alright? I will never leave your side." I said, hugging her and petting her head gently.

She hugged me more tightly. "I know... Thank you."

I sat on the bed and spoke. "Let's take a small break while we wait for the cab. Can you tell me more about where we're going?"

"It's... the town I used to live in... Watford." Dahlia quietly answered.

"I see." I simply replied, not knowing what else to say.

I imagined that she probably wanted to check on her old family and friends. She did tell me that she didn't trust anyone when she became a skinwalker, so they most likely weren't aware of her situation.

"How is it like?" I hesitantly asked after a few minutes of silence.

"It's a nice place, very pretty and peaceful. At least it was when I lived there..." She took her phone and started typing quickly. "I'm gonna... rent a car. It'll make things easier for the rest of our stay."

She was clearly trying to think of other things, but I let her be and smiled. "That's a good idea."

We stayed there for a few more minutes while waiting, just sitting on the bed and cuddling. When the cab arrived to pick us up, Dahlia took a deep breath and tried to appear more relaxed, greeting the driver with a smile as we got in. She was holding my hand tightly and never let go of it. The driver was a nice older man, probably close to retirement if I guessed his age correctly. As he drove, he often recommended us places to visit. He seemed to really enjoy being a tour guide for us, so we let him speak. I took a few notes of what he said, in case Dahlia and I felt like visiting these places afterwards.

I observed the sceneries, admiring London's architecture. It was so different from the one I was used to in the US. As we were approaching Watford, the driver told us that this city was famous for being the one where the Harry Potter movies were filmed. I didn't care all that much about those, personally. I watched some of them when I was younger, sure, but never was a fan.

The driver stopped in the city center. We paid and thanked him, and got out. It was indeed quite a pretty city, like Dahlia said. The buildings were colourful, the streets seemed clean, there was a lot of vegetation. All in all, it looked like a very nice place to live in.

Dahlia was observing our surroundings, her anxiety still slowly rising. She hesitantly started to walk, and I held her hand gently, letting her lead me where she wanted to go.

"I... I can't believe I'm really back here... after all this time..." She murmured.

I squeezed her hand and gave her a reassuring smile. "Deep breaths, alright?"

She closed her eyes and did just that, breathing in and out a few times. "I can... I can do it..."

A few minutes later, we found ourselves in front of a well-maintained florist shop.

Dahlia stopped and stared at it. "It's... still here..."

It was open, and I could notice a blonde girl inside taking care of the flowers. She was probably a bit younger than us, maybe seventeen or eighteen, and seemed to like what she was doing, judging from the expression on her face.

Dahlia took another deep breath, clenching her fists, and slowly walked inside the shop.

The girl smiled and greeted us enthusiastically. "Good afternoon!"

Dahlia smiled back somewhat awkwardly. "Good afternoon."

She looked around, analysing the shop, as if she was trying to refresh her memories of it. She observed some bouquets displayed, smiling a bit more naturally as she enjoyed the scent of the flowers. I knew that she liked taking care of plants, and she seemed to be in her element currently.

"Are you looking for something specific?" The girl asked as she approached us.

Dahlia grabbed a bouquet of pink flowers and turned to face the vendor. "I'll buy these, please."

"Pink dianthus? Do you know what they mean?"

Dahlia smiled weakly. "I do. They're a symbol of gratitude, to show that we will never forget someone."

"Indeed." The girl smiled. "I grew these ones myself, and the other varieties of dianthus we have here."

"You did an amazing work," Dahlia replied softly. "I can see how much care you put in them."

"Thank you."

Dahlia was paying for the flowers, relaxing a bit more, when we heard a door open in the back of the shop, and a middle-aged woman with long brown hair walked in. Dahlia froze, her eyes widening.

"Oh, we had clients? Why didn't you tell me, Marion?" The woman said in an accent that seemed French.

"I can take care of clients myself, Mom, I'm not a kid." The girl replied, and Dahlia's stare shifted to her as she said that.

"Marion... Cecile..." She whispered, her tone so low that the two women didn't hear, but I did thanks to my better hearing.

Dahlia was starting to breathe faster, and she was holding her head with her free hand. I noticed some tears starting to roll down her cheeks.

"E-excuse me..." She said, quickly leaving the shop before they could see what was happening.

"Is she alright?" Marion asked, looking a bit worried.

"Maybe she's a bit ill. I'll go check on her, thank you." I replied, bowing and following Dahlia outside.

Dahlia was leaning against a wall a bit further away, still holding her head. She was hyperventilating and crying, as if she was having a panic attack.

"D-Dahl? What's wrong?" I asked, getting closer.

She didn't reply, her crying intensifying. It hurt me so much to see her like this, but I didn't know what to do apart from hugging her, making sure not to ruin the bouquet she bought.

"Dahl, I don't know what happened, but I'm here."

A moment later, I saw her breathe in and out, and she broke free from the hug, wiping her tears away.

"I'm okay, Ed. Let's get away from here." She said while grabbing my hand.

It was the first time in weeks that she used my original name.

"You dumbass… What did you expect from coming back here, you freaking idiot…?" I heard her mutter while dragging me to a quiet alleyway. "I told you it was a bad idea..."

"W-who are you talking about, Dahl?" I asked.

Once we were in private, she turned to face me, scoffing. "I'm talking about the moron who went into a breakdown after seeing her former wife and daughter even though she swore to not let her past affect her anymore and to move on."

"Huh?" I tilted my head, not really understanding what she meant.

"Ah, right, it is the first time we are able to properly converse since that day you got turned, as she barely needed me recently. It's a pleasure to finally be able to talk to you, Edward. I am Dahlia." She replied with a small bow and a smug grin.

It took me a moment to process what she said.

What?