𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐅𝐓 : 𝐖𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘 𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐊.

𝟎𝟏: DISSIPATE INTO A DRIP BAG

"That would mean I'm a figment of your imagination, and I feel pretty real, you know as much as a dead girl can feel real." I bite my tongue at the last part. We were gone, and I felt in my bones that we weren't coming back.

"Someone's been reading way too much Stephen King," he breathes out. "A coma is a lovely thought, but if you're here...you're here."

"I hate it here." Maddie mumbles as we continue to walk through the hallways.

I nod my head along, agreeing. "It's like moving from one prison to another, like a different version of hell that's somehow worse than the last."

Charley stops at a nearby locker, leaning against it, shifting his focus between us two. "Only difference is that high school used to feel like an eternity, and now it actually is."

A basketball bouncing quickly catches my attention, but more so the voice that echoed through the hall as if he was looking through me. "Hey, you!" The man calls out, and I am taken aback for a moment. That is, before I realize he's staring at those two kids bouncing that damn ball around. "What are you doing? You can't bounce that in the hall." The students both roll their eyes. "Come on, give it here. You can grab it after school." The basketball rolls towards him as he picks it up, shaking his head in disapproval before walking away.

"Yeah, that's one thing that hasn't changed since I went here in the 90's. I was basically invisible when I was alive, too." I lay a hand on Charley's shoulder before a familiar voice grabs my attention.

"You going back to the senior assembly?" Nicole physically rolls her eyes and shifts her body, finishing applying a missing poster for the two of us onto a locker.

"That assembly is a joke, I'm going to look for my friends."

Maddie starts to walk over and it's as if I'm holding a crystal ball. A series of "Nicole's" shift out of her mouth rapidly, begging for the attention of someone who can't see her.

"Mads," I start, but it's no use, she's fixated on getting her attention. I don't blame her, either. If I hadn't of known the rules of the realm and those who are entrapped in it, I would be trying all of the same tricks.

"Come on, there's some people I think you should meet." His eyes soften at Maddie, and I was not looking forward to having my spirit known as the only person who could see them while I was alive. Especially having to see Wally.

"I already have friends." Maddie interjects quickly.

"Just try one meeting, okay?" His eyes still sweet and filled of hope that she'd agree.

"One meeting, that's it." I add, folding my hands together in a nervous manner.

"If you hate it, I'll never bother you about it again." He explains, and you could tell he meant what he said.

"I'm holding you to that," she complies, walking along the hallway as she drops her shoulders.

"Oh, are we playing basketball now?" She asks as we step through the gym doors, and the aroma of teenage boy's sweat and body spray fills the air suddenly.

"Yep, every few days they meet up to get their built-up spiritual energy out, it's actually quite relaxing from what I've heard." She looks at me funny before I start laughing.

"Please leave the sports to the living kids." Charley adds. "We're over here," he points to an array of chairs in a perfect circle at the corner of the gym.
Maddie and I flinch as we walk through the crowd of sweaty, energy driven players. "No need to flinch. They can't see you, and they can't hurt you. One of the small perks to the whole dead thing."

We approach the empty chairs, some already taken by spirts I'd seen around before. "I'm sitting there," Rhonda asserts, as Maddie finds another chair to sit in.

"How are you here for, like, what sixty-some years, and you still have a stick shoved up there?" I shoot at Rhonda before sitting down in a seat directly across from her.

"Ouch, Amara," Wally takes a seat a few chairs away, smiling towards me, and I'm somehow shocked to see he remembered my name.

"Is this seat taken?" Maddie asks, hovering her body over the chair next to me.

Charley sighs, shifting weight between his feet before sitting in his usual chair "Uhm, not anymore. That was Janet's. The one Amara's sitting in used to be her sister's chair, Jessica."

"What happened to her?" Maddie asks, and I'm quite intrigued myself.

We're quickly cut from questions and curiosity when Mr. Martin introduces himself. "Alright, everyone. Let's get started." He looks back and forth between Maddie and I. "Hello, I'm glad you decided to join us. I'm Mr. Martin." He looks around the occupied chairs of other spirits. "Well, we have two new students here with us today. Um, would you like to introduce yourselves?"

"I'm good." Maddie and I manage to say simultaneously, and Wally's stare just seems to linger far too long. I meet his eye before looking back at the newly-introduced man I had slightly met before my death.

He clears his throat, and I'm the first one to speak. "I'm Amara Thompson, and I'm, well, dead now apparently."

"Hi Amara," the group announces together.

She leans forward in her seat. "Uhm, I'm Madison Nears, but everyone calls me Maddie."

"Hi, Maddie." The entire group speaks again and it's starting to remind me of some creepy cult.

"It takes a lot of courage to be here, especially when you're new. Would you like to tell us a bit about yourselves?"

Maddie and I share a look, neither of us are impressed with the therapy-like approach. "What do you need to know?" She asks.

"Well, you could start with how your day is going?" I don't know, what's it like being on your third day of kicking the bucket? "Has Charley been a helpful guide to you both?"

"How'd you guys die?" Rhonda asks assertively, twirling a cherry red lollipop between her fingers.

"Okay, Rhonda. Why don't we try to raise our hands when we have a question?" He tries to calm the atmosphere.

"You tell me," I sigh, leaning back in my chair, wishing it would tip over so I could exit the tiresome conversation.

"Uh, one minute we were ditching study hall..."

I finish for her since she had trailed off. "Next moment we're here, dead, and to everyone else missing. Fun times."

"I don't know what happened. Who did it to us, don't really know why either." She expands further into detail.

Rhonda takes her lollipop out of her mouth again, crossing her arms. "Oh, you were both murdered? Welcome to the club."

"Can we maybe exchange names first so Maddie feels a little more welcome?" Mr. Martin tries again.

"We don't know what happened exactly." I breathe out, trying to find more air to enter my lungs.

"Exactly?" She questions, titling her head as her curly hair bounces.

"They haven't found our bodies yet." Maddie explains.

I look between her and Rhonda. "We just know there was blood in the boiler room once we gained consciousness to this quite enjoyable world, and we're both here now."

The group exchanges a big round of questioning phrases, and I can tell by the reaction it's not normal to not remember your death. Which, as a medium, I thought I would know, but I assume not.

"That isn't a normal thing, is it?" I ask as Maddie's expression fills with worry and despair.

"Well...it's a first," Charley carefully picks his words.

"You'd think Ms. Medium would know that already. So then what do you remember, cherry pops?" I had never wanted to smack a lollipop out of someone's hands ever in my life, until this very moment.