Autumn Spring
Angel J was a brand that all the bride-to-be sought out for their once-in-a-lifetime event, Marriage. It was a brand that hadn't experienced any setbacks since its founding and was founded by Juliette's mother Jasmine Angel. It was supposed to be Juliette's according to her mother's will. It was supposed to be hers, only if she was there to receive it on her twenty-first birthday. It was weird and specific. On Juliette's twenty-first birthday, she will receive Angel J along with my last name. If Juliette is not present, then Owen Reign will inherit Angel J. In the event of Juliette's passing before this Will becomes valid, Angel J will lose its name and should be sold before the proceeds are donated to 'White Orchid Home'. Juliette's mother was a shrewd woman who prioritized Juliette's safety over Angel J, which was her life's work. She made sure that Juliette would be protected from certain individuals, regardless of whether she received support from Angel J or not. Meanwhile, Juliette was determined to save herself and Angel J from her father, who she knew had married her mother out of greed. Sure Angel J was a golden goose but that was old news and now the Reign family has more than one such thing. If only Juliette could stay put until it was time for her to get away from these people, she would have her freedom and life. So despite facing the ire of her stepmother and siblings, Juliette worked hard to not stand out and keep herself out of everyone's notice. However, she didn't anticipate the full extent of her family's greed, nor did she realize the other reasons why her family was significant among the elites. "Hey!" Juliette ignored the voice only she could hear and the man only she could see, despite the man's smile reminiscent of a golden retriever. "You can see me right?" He asked again... He's been asking that same question for a week now and it was getting hard for Juliette to ignore it. She's been ignoring these "people" and their voices for a while, but this man was persistent. How she wished to smack this idiot's head so hard that he would be plastered to the wall. But that would give her away. He wasn't the first and he wouldn't be the last. So Juliette would rather not start it at all. "Can we be friends?" PERSISTENT!
CH. 2 Baby Steps
The first time Juliette managed to move her body was when she screamed for her resident friends to run from her evil sister. But that was a secret she held on to for days to come so she could get what she wanted, so she could get what was rightfully hers.
"Angel J! Here I come!" Juliette pumped her fist in the air.
"You shouldn't move your body so aggressively! Rehabilitation was supposed to be done slowly and patiently." The ghost doctor looked like a worried father watching his child taking her first steps.
"I have no such luxury. Just make sure that I won't get caught. Give me all the tips to keep my recovery a secret." Juliette said as she walked with the help of two other ghosts.
"I still can't believe it." The long-haired ghost, whose name she didn't want to learn, spoke in a daze. The dazed look on her skinny face looked scarier than she normally was.
"I can't believe it either. The first time I caught sight of you, I almost ascended to the afterlife instead of that ghost doctor there." Juliette glared at the long-haired ghost. It was rare for a living person to see and hear the ghosts so clearly, let alone touch them. Juliette also realised that even Axel, a firstborn Reign, could only see the silhouettes of the ghosts and such. Maybe Juliette's uncle, Adam Reign, might be powerful enough to see and hear the ghosts like her.
I will have to check it later when I meet him. Juliette thought.
"I heard that firstborn Reign children are spiritually powerful but I'm not a firstborn." Juliette voiced her doubts. Dead or alive, two people could think better than one.
"It may be because of your accident." The long-haired ghost offered her wisdom.
"From the report, It seemed that you almost died." The ghost doctor informed. Juliette remembered the pain and her body growing colder as she lay in the pool of her blood. She thought she was done until she woke in the hospital bed.
"During that time, you must have stepped into this side." The long-haired ghost said.
"Then imagine how many people must have experienced near-death situations. And this is a hospital so why is it that only me who could see you all?" Juliette asked ghosts sitting around her room as they took turns assisting her walk slowly across the room.
"It might be because you are from that family." One of the ghosts, an elderly lady who can't walk without the support of her walking stick, spoke with disdain.
"You've got a point." Juliette agreed. All the ghosts here hated Juliette's family and their visits more than Juliette. Their being exorcists was one of the reasons besides the point that even ghosts can't stand obnoxious people.
"Speaking of which, Why didn't you get rid of us yet?" One of the ghosts asked. They are the bunch who were still wary of Juliette.
"One, I don't know how. Two, I don't want to. Three, You guys are fun." Juliette admitted and the ghosts sighed in relief.
"What are you going to do now? Why are you hiding your recovery?" The long-haired ghost asked. Juliette stared at her for a moment longer before replying.
"I do not wish to divulge my plans. As of now, I am the only one who I can trust to keep my secrets and protect myself." Juliette announced. Some ghosts nodded agreeing with her. As she turned to walk another round, she caught sight of a child ghost eyeing the fruits in her room. She waved her hand and the child pounced on the fruit basket hungrily. There are some things she learned as the days went by in the company of her ghost acquaintances, one of them is that most ghosts couldn't enter one's house on their own without permission. They get hungry but can't eat the food unless offered. Poor things.
"Until when are you going to keep hiding like this?" The elderly lady asked.
"Another month." Juliette replied. In exactly a month, she would be twenty-one and she would be making a dramatic entrance. Angel J's executive meeting would take place on her birthday and if she was not present at that time then Angel J would go to her father. It was like her mother was challenging her, I put everything in place for you so if you can't even make it there on your own then how can you take care of my legacy? Juliette loved her wise mother. She wanted to prove that she was worthy of her inheritance. Juliette might have underestimated her family before but now she learned her lesson.
"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." Juliette mocked her past naive self. She survived growing up in that family so she wasn't a saint but how else could she explain herself falling into their obvious trap and getting into an accident? Naivety, yes that was the only answer.
A few days later, she had visitors again. This time they were someone she could trust but Juliette pretended there was no sign of recovery.
"Get well soon dear." A gentle hand caressed her head. Eric Li was her mother's best friend and lawyer. He was also in charge of overseeing Juliette's inheritance process.
Jade wasn't here. Juliette thought. Jade was Mr. Li's only child and daughter. She was also like a little sister and best friend to Juliette. She missed her dearly and hoped Jade would visit her. But Jade was nowhere to be seen since Juliette gained consciousness.
"Jade, that girl..." Mr. Li sighed exhaustedly.
"She picked a fight with Miss Evelyn on her first visit so she was banned from coming here." He informed as if he read her thoughts and it took Juliette everything she had to stop herself from breaking into a stupid grin.
Eric Li was a beta and an up-and-coming lawyer by the time Juliette's mother married her father. That was two decades ago but now, He owns one of the biggest law firms in Yila, the capital and the biggest city in all of Klumont. Most of his lawyers now work for the Pendragon conglomerate and its subsidiaries.
"All we want is for you and Jade to be healthy and happy. Forget Angel J. Your mother would care about you more than she would a company that she found as a hobby. Once you wake up, all three of us can live together happily. Away from those greedy bastards." The Mister went on and on.
But Mister, Angel J was the only thing that was left of Mother. For me, that was my mother's warm embrace and my haven. Juliette thought.
It was more than a decade ago since she last heard her mother's voice and these days she could barely recall it. Sometimes it would scare her awake in the middle of the night, like the only thing holding her in place was fading away.
It's okay. She told herself. It's going to be okay. This will be the last and only hurdle in her life that she has to overcome. After that life would be a lot easier than it was before. It would be a lot more fun than it was before. Juliette couldn't help but tell herself that over and over again.
That night she didn't speak a word and didn't move a muscle for her daily rehabilitation walk. The long-haired ghost who'd been in the room all day chased the other visiting ghosts away that night and covered Juliette with a blanket silently.
"Thank you." Juliette muttered silently and ducked inside of her blanket. That night she had nightmares that she hadn't in a long time.
A few more days...