Flora’s Guide to a Second Chance at Love and Life

Fiona had never bought into tales of ghosts or the supernatural, and she definitely didn't believe that some spooky figure in the dead of night could be a murderer.

Hospitals usually had surveillance cameras, and she was determined to get to the bottom of what happened. Jasmine's body had been ravaged almost entirely from the inside, beyond any hope of saving. These creatures had digestion and reproduction rates that seemed out of this world. The only way to stop them was to keep them from water, which would cause them to dry up and die in seconds.

"Just great!" Fiona muttered, frustration boiling over as she clenched her fists. All she could do now was use acupuncture to keep Jasmine hanging on by a thread. But once that thread snapped, Jasmine would be gone for good.

The idea of Jasmine dying this way made Fiona's body tremble. She'd always thought if Jasmine were to die, it'd be on the battlefield, fighting beside her, not like this.

They'd dodged countless assassination attempts since childhood, surviving both open attacks and hidden threats. They'd built their own empire from the ground up, which was no small feat. And just when they were about to hit their stride, everything was falling apart. Fiona punched the metal bed frame in frustration.

"Fiona," Jasmine's voice was barely a whisper.

Her face was alarmingly pale, making her features look even more delicate and lovable.

"Fiona, I'm alright. See? I'm still here, aren't I?" Jasmine reached out, hooking her fingers with Fiona's, managing a small smile. After all these years, she knew exactly what Fiona was feeling.

"Fiona, knowing you was enough for me in this life. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have made it this far. I'm content, though I do wish I could see you reach the top, see you marry that guy Jackson. It's a bit of a regret."

Her voice quivered, tears threatening to spill. She sniffed and said, "Don't keep things to yourself. If it gets too hard, go to my grave and have a good @y. No one will see, no one will judge you. I'll be there, listening to your stories, and maybe, just maybe, I'll be the wind that hugs you."

Fiona couldn't hold it in anymore, tears streaming down her face. She clasped

Jasmine's hand, rubbing it to keep her warm.

"Come on, Fiona, don't cry. You

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know I hate seeing you upset. Your nineteenth birthday is coming up, and it hurts that I can't be there Please take care of yourself. Here's a key; it's for a gift I've been planning for a while." She chuckled through her tears. "Meeting you inthis lifetime was worth everything."

As the last tear fell, Jasmine's hand slipped from Fiona's grasp, and the keys jingled as they hit the floor.

"Jasmine!" Fiona called out softly.

She knew Jasmine was gone, never to return.

Picking up the keys from the floor, still warm as if Jasmine were right there with

her, Fiona felt a pang of loss.

Leaving the emergency room,

Fiona's face was a mask of calm

She tuned out the voices around her,

focusing only on Jasmine's words about the gift she'd planned. She needed to find out what it was.

Outside the emergency room, people rushed to find out about Jasmine. It wasn't until the nurse wheeled out Jasmine's body, draped in a white sheet, that the gravity of the loss hit everyone.