#[it was just at the very bottom of my drafts waiting for inspo to strike and lookie here. it has!!]

[untilthcyrot]

things you said prompts | 2. things you said through your teeth asked by @freakarus

Winnie didn't like to think of her childhood on account of it being TRAUMATIC. She used to wish that she was one of those kids who had endured something horrible when they were kids and somehow managed to block it out like it never happened. They buried it deep down somewhere where even they couldn't find it without years of successful therapy to unlock unpleasant memories. She used to think all of that would have been nice.

Here she was though instead, haunted. She had always been terrified that Artemis Tomb would climb his way out of Hell (assured that's where he had gone after his mysterious murder) and find the one person who would be able to connect with his black soul. She had been getting better about connecting with the spirits that gravitated towards her and had even found herself sleepwalking less and less. She credited Eddie for that, his unconditional love and support making it easier for her to believe in herself and what she was capable of for once. Finding that control helped her, and was probably why Artemis had a hard time connecting with her.

But he found his way in.

Not literally inside of her body as his vessel, thank God, but he'd reached out to her. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up like sharp pins and every thump of her heart inside of her chest felt heavier and heavier, leaving her more and more breathless like she was going to pass out on the floor. The nightmare man had found her and as quickly as he had, she did everything she could to BLOCK HIM OUT. It wasn't easy. Malevolent spirits like his weren't easy to stomp out. She ran from him and didn't stop until she reached Eddie.

She found herself pressed tightly against her boyfriend's chest, curled up against him for comfort, even protection even if he didn't know how to protect her from a ghost. She just needed him. At first, Winnie's sobs were pitiful, scared of the nightmare man finding her again. Then they turned into tears of anger.

❝ I've been scared of him my whole life, ❞ she spoke through gritted teeth, trembling in Eddie's arms. Finally, she sat up, though she couldn't look at him yet, more so staring at nothingness in front of him. ❝ I was scared of him when I was his prisoner and I've been scared of him since he's been dead. It's like he's never let me move on. ❞ She rubbed her arm against her nose, sniffling. ❝ I'm so sick of being scared. It isn't fair. It isn't fair what happened to me or Jude or any of those kids !! ❞