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Under no condition had Selene thought that someone was going to visit her so soon after moving in. She hadn't even set up all of her bookshelves yet! She was in the middle of doing so, in fact, when the door startled her into dropping the hammer she was working with. The entire bookshelf came crashing down, flat in front of her, and she sighed in sadness. Then she carefully put the rest of her tools away and shuffled to the door.

"Ahhh, one minute~" The soft, understated voice gently floated out, as Selene shuffled closer. She opened the door just a crack, and a very hesitant black eye peeked out from behind the door.

"A student!" Selene hissed softly. "How delightful. Please, come in." She pulled the door open fully, though she stayed behind the door as she did so, using both of her hands to do it. Amphi was welcomed in by an arm sticking out of the door, waving her inside. "Please excuse the mess, I only just moved in." Her voice was so hard to hear, but it sounded friendly, at least.

When Amphi entered, and Selene was in view, it was clear she was also a work in progress - wearing small but loose workman's clothes, paint splattered upon the pants, and a handkerchief holding back her hair to keep it clean. She had been hard at work!

Selene took off the handkerchief that had been keeping her hair clean, and used it to dab against the skin around her. She didn't sweat - she couldn't - but the handkerchief was damp and cooled her skin just as well. "Please!" She breathed out. "No student should ever feel bothered for coming to a professor. It is my pleasure to assist you in any matter I can. Sit, sit here, please." She pulled out a chair, and knocked off the books that were sitting on it. Then she instantly regretted her action, and turned to pick up each book one by one.

"Amphi, I am indeed Professor Selene." Amphi's last words made her drop a book in confusion, and she let out a soft sound of dismay. "Ahh.. how very clumsy of me.."

Once all of the books were collected, she placed them on her desk, and then shuffled over to the other side of it. Her hand remained gently touching the edge of the desk with every step, as a crutch to assure herself she wouldn't fall. Then she turned, and sat down in her own chair. Her wide, black eyes looked at Amphi very carefully.

"I am.. hmm." A soft blush kissed her green cheeks. "How terribly embarrassing. You seem to know me.. and yet.. I cannot recall ever meeting you." She chuckled breathlessly. "I am so terribly sorry. How have we met, again?"

Selene was very glad she was already sitting down in her chair when Amphi explained exactly how she knew her. The tinge on her cheeks disappeared, as she paled at the first mention of his name.

Just that one word, and she was undone.

".. I .. y.. you.. trancccce.. w-what..?" Her breathe came in shaky, uneven intakes. She even knew what the trance process was, but that didn't matter. The ghoul in front of her had said a phrase that nearly made Selene burst into tears.

I was Arcana.

Selene sat back in her chair, and put her hands on her lips, covering her mouth in despair. She didn't know what to say to the ghoul. She didn't know if she could speak, at all. And worst of all, just hearing Arcana's name tore open wounds that had been hastily healed over long, long ago.

With each second that passed, Selene looked less like a capable adult professor, and more like the tiny, broken child she'd been that very day.

Amphi wasn't looking, as she rattled off the intimate details of some of the most precious memories of Selene's life. She wasn't watching Selene's reaction as she dredged up the memories that had been sealed away for years, pushed far back into the woman's psyche to keep from feeling the unbearable heartache that had crippled her for so long after the incident. She didn't notice Selene's tears as they trickled down her cheeks, and she covered her eyes with her hands as the words summoned memories that she saw in the dark, as if they had just happened yesterday.

"I'll always love Selene the best. Please.....love me always too."

She could hear his voice, loud and clear, as if he was right there in the room with her.

"No, Arcie." She repeated, her teeth gritting through the pain. "I won't - leave - you."

But she did leave him. She did.

The arms around her startled her out of her reverie, and she sucked in a gasp as she uncovered her wet eyes, and stared up at the ghoul holding her. She didn't know this face, and nothing about her reminded her of that time, except.. except perhaps the way she held her.

Amphi's last words for Arcana made Selene dissolve into quiet tears. She couldn't even hear the last part, about Arcana's locker..

Selene's quiet crying did not relent when Amphi apologized, nor did she send the ghoul away. She just let the tears come, and felt the pain that had been locked away for so long, until she felt she could speak again. When she did, she wiped her cheeks with her fingertips, and a shaky, breathless voice answered only Amphi's last question.

"It never stopped hurting." She pulled away, sniffing once before trying to regain some semblence of decorum by sitting up straight and holding her head up high. But the tears that streaked down her cheeks ruined any chance of that.

She looked over at the frame, holding his card, and her fingers reached out to brush the glass. A ghost of a sad smile touched her features, but then it was gone.

"Oh, Amphi." She finally turned to look at the ghoul, absolute embarrassment coloring her features. "How dreadful. I am so, so, so sorry. I did not mean to fall apart like that. Please, forgive me. We will keep this our little secret, won't we?"

Selene looked up at the ghoul, and then laughed sadly and put her hands on her face, wiping away the tears before looking at her again. "Why child, of course you can come and see me. Anytime. Really." She patted Amphi's elbow, and sighed. "Honestly, I'm surprised you'd even want to, with such a terrible show I just put on. How embarrassing, really."

She started to shuffle her papers in front of her, simply to have something to do with her hands, but after a moment she stopped and let out a tiny, short sigh.

"I want you to be very careful, Amphi. All right?" Her eyes flickered, side glancing at the ghoul. "During your time here at Amityville. Please do be very careful. I don't think I could handle seeing you get hurt, or worse. In truth I don't want anyone to be hurt, and I wish all of the students safety. I truly do. But."

There was something about the ghoul that Selene felt protective about, now that she knew Amphi harbored Arcana's memories within her. It was as if somehow, the spirit of Arcana lived on as long as Amphi was safe.

"Just be careful, dear."