Anya heard soft footfalls outside the door. "Sorry dear, I shouldn't be here." She dived under the bed and not a moment too soon.

"Gabriel? Did you yell?" The soft voice of a girl. Anya could see the hem of her forget-me-not blue dressing gown sweeping across the floor as she hid under the bed.

"Yes, Astrid. It was the demon from the forest. She flew in through the window."

Astrid sat down on Gabriel's bed, her freckled legs just inches away from Anya's face. Astrid was probably the girl Anya had seen through the window.

"You had a nightmare, Gabriel. I did too. It came on all of a sudden."

"The demon caused them when she flew in and hissed at me."

"I think you shouldn't tell stories, Gab. Lotte doesn't like it."

"She's bossy."

"Mm. Listen, we're going to start work tomorrow. Exciting eh? Heidi the farmer seems super nice."

Heidi? Who was Astrid talking about? The farmer was an old man and Anya remembered that his name was Klaus, not Heidi.

"Hard work though I bet. Dad wouldn't have forced me to work hard." Anya felt concerned. She hoped Astrid had the sense to hug him. From under the bed she could not of course see.

"I miss him too, but we have to all pull our weight now," said Astrid softly.

"Lotte will be living it up in the dress shop." Anya could envision Gabriel pouting as he said that.

"Dress making's hard work as well. And I must say it doesn't appeal to me."

"I wish Anya would come to the farm tomorrow," said Gabriel loudly, "then it would actually be fun. She could make some money, too."

Under the bed, Anya grinned.

"Well now, I've heard so much about her all evening I must meet her," said Astrid sounding amused.

"Probably not in the middle of the night," said Gabriel, still speaking loudly. Anya silently agreed. It would be so embarrassing to be found hiding under the bed like this. She felt her face grow hot at the thought.

When Astrid had bidden her brother goodnight and left the room, Anya slipped out from under the bed.

Gabriel looked quite relaxed again as he lay back in bed. His golden hair gleamed in the light of the oil lamp.

"Are you sure you're alright, darling?"

He tapped his cutely formed nose. "I'm not sure, perhaps you should check?"

Anya thought she had better, so she leaned close to peer at him, her dark hair spilling onto his pillow. He flashed her a cheeky grin. "See, my irony gets you each time."

"Very good." Anya sat down on the side of the bed again. "I think I should stay, in case the demon comes back. I – I don't want to go back alone anyway. Not while it's dark." She shuddered at the thought of meeting the demon alone outside on a dark night! Such a horror truly had no place in her world.

"I'll protect you, Anya. Any demon or dragon would have to go through me first, my dark-haired princess."

Anya grinned. "I hear you, my beautiful Knight. Protect me and I'll leave at dawn."

"Well you must come with us tomorrow, you heard Astrid and me."

Anya smiled. "I had no idea there was a new farmer, but I'll be delighted to come with you. It would be so merry if we could work together. I might be able to earn enough to support us as at home as well."

"If you were the bread winner you could make the rules? Like staying up as late as you wanted? And buying whatever clothes you liked?" Gabriel's piping voice was beginning to sound sleepy.

"We could afford to go to a real fair then," said Anya, stroking his hair. "Or to summer camp." Looking on Gabriel's sweet face she thought that he should be her new best friend. Jana had certainly let her down by not writing as promised. Although she would give Jana a chance to explain herself face to face, there was no denying she had hurt her feelings.

As Gabriel nodded off she lay beside him, on top of the blankets, still fully clothed. She would not nod off, just rest her eyes for a second and then carry on with her guard duty… But nod off she did.

Anya awoke to the sun shining in through her own bedroom window. She sat up and blinked. How was she back here? Had she been dreaming? No, that was stupid, she remembered the events of last night with crystal clarity. Had she sleep walked back? Was that possible? She was in her white night gown again, just as she had been yesterday morning, but she had not undressed herself last night, she had still worn her frock and the old traveling cloak.

Still, she had to get going. It was exciting that she could finally work and really support her mum and dad. She washed herself carefully, found her old gardening clothes for mucky work – hand me downs from her mum – and then she hurried into the kitchen.

Her mum was frying eggs again, standing by the hearth just as she had the previous morning. "Morning, mummy dear. So we have more fresh eggs?"

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"Yes, mouse. I hope you’re hungry."

"Where is dad? I have good news."

"Gone to work in the fields. The life of a churl is a laborious one."

"Wait-" Anya was puzzled. "Sorry, but what happened to his being laid off? Is it that he is applying for a job from Heidi?"

"What do you mean, mouse?"

Anya was getting a curious sense of deja vu from the previous morning. It was making her uneasy. That sense of something being wrong that had bothered her yesterday before meeting Gabriel was back, now twice as strong.

"I – I'm going to apply for a job at the farm."

"That miserable old fellow won't employ a girl."

"I've heard that there is a new farmer, named Heidi." Anya peered hard at her mother. What was not quite right? Mum's eyes had that glazed look… Anya swallowed.

Her mother began to serve the eggs. "Your father works for farmer Klaus."

"Last night you said that Klaus had laid dad off."

Her mother shook her head, that vacant look back in her eyes. "I don't remember."

"Mum, please, you've got to tell me if something's wrong, if I don't know, how can I help?" Anya was on her feet and her voice rising shrilly, feeling once again like the ground was slipping away from under her. "There's a demon on the loose… has she put a spell on you? She's after me, it's clear." The thought of the foul, hissing shadow touching the minds of her parents gave her chills.

"Oh you poor sweet thing, don't get in a state," her mother put her arms round her.

Anya pressed her face into her mother's shoulder, feeling tears coming to her eyes. "You'll be OK, mum. I'm going to get help. I – I want to see Gabriel next door. Then we'll know what to do."

"The house next door is empty, dearest," said her mother, her voice still with that absent tone.

Anya hurried through the copse, so fast that her feet seemed to skim over the grass. Gabriel was waiting for her by the front door, his blond hair gleaming gold in the sunshine. She flung her arms around him. "Good morning, Anya. What kept you? Astrid's already gone on ahead." He caught sight of her face and saw the tears in her eyes and her frightened look. "What's happened? You look like you've seen the demon again."

"I – I think she's put a spell on my mum. One I don't understand." She beginning to sob now. "We need help. Badly."

Gabriel nodded, his face uncharacteristically grave. "The farmer knows everyone. Perhaps she knows a priest who will fight the fiend. If we're her employees, it stands to reason she'd want to help."

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Anya felt a little calmer. Just seeing Gabriel's pretty, freckled face again was a comfort. She nodded, her bottom lip still quivering. Holding hands, they walked up the rutted dusty track to the farm, glancing around uneasily in case the demon should swoop down on them.

Now they were surrounded by green fields. Gabriel pointed to a long, low stone building. "We're supposed to go in there."

They slipped in through the open door. There were other young people sitting along rows of wooden benches, some Anya's age, some younger still and some nearing adulthood. At the front there stood a tall, beautiful lady with long auburn hair that glinted in the sunshine that streamed through the low windows. Everyone looked round as they entered.

"Sorry we're late, it's my fault," said Anya.

"Sorry," echoed Gabriel.

"Welcome!" the lady beamed at them. "I'm Heidi, please take a seat."

They sat down on the end of a bench. Anya could see Astrid frown at her brother. Hadn't she heard that their lateness was Anya's fault, not Gabriel's?

"Now today we can all try out the jobs we feel we'd be good at and find the right ones. Yay!" chirped Heidi, raising her arms as if in celebration. There were smiles around the room. Everyone began to tell Heidi what job they would like to try out for. Anya thought it was a very good idea. And there were equal numbers of girls and boys. Heidi was so much fairer about it than Klaus had been. Undoubtedly she would rehire Anya's father. She waited for Heidi to come around to them, but Gabriel raised his hand and piped up:

"I would like to try out baking first, I quite like it at home. But I want to work with Anya, whatever happens and she needs a good job."

"Anya, my dear?" Said Heidi, smiling at him.

"My neighbour. In the cottage beyond the copse next to our house," said Gabriel, pointing at her.

"Yes, Heidi, I would love to work with Gabriel," said Anya.

But Heidi looked concerned. There were a few muffled sniggers around the room. "My dear, there is no longer a labourer's cottage next to your house. It burned down five years ago." Her voice was grave and she was no longer smiling. "A terrible tragedy. I knew Franz, the poor, poor man… he, his wife and young daughter all died. Anya has been dead these five years."

Anya felt a chill to her heart, just as if she had been plunged in icy water. She leaped to her feet crying out wildly. No! It couldn't be true it couldn't be! And yet... why did it seem that the pieces were falling into place...? Gabriel looked at her, alarmed, but no one else noticed. No one else could see her. But her mum and dad were still at the cottage, they had to be.

She hurtled out of the door and down the weather-beaten track, past Gabriel's house and through the copse and then she found –

There was no cottage, just a charred husk; the stone base was surrounded by fragments of charred old wood. Nothing left of her home and family, but ashes and dust. She collapsed onto the old stone floor and screamed and screamed and screamed wildly. Then she broke down, crying hard. Now everything made sense. That terrible dream of a fire… that sense that time was not going by… that no one besides Gabriel could see or hear her… that Gabriel's family had moved in, Heidi become the farmer and the fair been abandoned for years, all without her knowing… that her mum and dad were not really her mum and dad anymore, they were just memories and their cottage a burned-out shell… she had just seen what she wanted to see before, but now she knew. That had been what the foul demon hissed about. The creepy rambling of the fiend made sense now… that bit about Anya not knowing herself. She had not known that she was a ghost! Nothing would ever be the same again...

She lay face down on the cold stone crying hard, her whole body shaking uncontrollably. "Mum… Dad… come back…" she moaned. No answer. She wailed and cried even harder, beating at the stone floor with her fists.

Soft footfalls behind her. "Anya…"

"Gabriel!" She rose and threw her arms around him again. She was taller than him and could not bury her face in his shoulder, but she hugged him tight as she cried. "Mum … dad… they're dead and so am I. I'm dead...! It's too late. I shouldn't even - even be here." She wailed again and fresh tears poured down her face, splashing onto Gabriel's hair.

"Anya… dear… we're both here and can get through this. There is a reason you are here. Remember – the demon said that you're her enemy. You made her run away twice. Isn't it obvious? You've come back to fight her and save the village. That must be it. And she kept hissing that she couldn't fight you until you knew yourself. Now you do know we've got to make a plan."

She gazed into his beautiful, blue eyes. "Dear Gabriel I – I" she hiccoughed. She wanted to say that she was too sad to carry on, but with him near, she couldn't be so sad as that.

"Wow, my best friend is a ghost. And I thought village life would be dull. What do I know?" He shook his head.

Her friend… he wanted to be her friend even though she was a ghost. He was not scared of her… he was a friend. Despite her sorrow, that thought warmed her.

"The demon appears at night. We've got to be ready and we've only got until sunset," he urged.

She nodded, her throat tight. Time to pull herself together. She wouldn't lie down and give up, she would make mum and dad proud. The demon must not win. Anya would fight.