The Girl Who Could See Ghosts

THE GIRL WHO COULD SEE GHOSTS

By Royal Venom

Chapter One - The House

Maya had never believed in ghosts. At least, that was what she told herself as the moving truck disappeared down the long dirt road leading away from her new home. The house stood at the end of a forest, surrounded by crooked trees and covered in ivy. It had belonged to her grandmother, who had passed away a few months earlier, and Maya's mother had decided that moving there would give their family a fresh start. Maya wasn't convinced. The house was enormous, old, and strangely quiet. Even during the day, the halls seemed darker than they should have been. Her mother told her that the electricity had always been unreliable, but Maya noticed something else. Every time she walked past the upstairs hallway, she felt as though someone was watching her. That night, Maya unpacked her clothes and placed a small photograph of her old friends beside her bed. Rain tapped against the window while the wind pushed branches against the glass. Just before midnight, Maya heard footsteps in the hallway. She sat up. Step. Step. Step. Someone was walking slowly toward her bedroom. "Mom?" she called. No answer. The footsteps stopped outside her door. Maya held her breath. Then the doorknob began to turn.

Chapter Two - The Boy

The door opened by itself. Maya froze beneath her blankets. A boy stood in the doorway. He looked about seventeen, with messy dark hair, pale skin, and clothes that looked strangely old-fashioned. Water dripped from his hair even though he had not come in from outside. He stared directly at her. Maya couldn't move. "You're not supposed to be here," he whispered. Maya screamed. Her mother rushed into the room and switched on the light. The boy was gone. "What happened?" her mother asked. Maya pointed toward the doorway, but there was nothing there. "Someone was standing there." Her mother sighed and told her she had probably been dreaming. Maya tried to believe her. The next morning, however, she found wet footprints on the wooden floor leading from her bedroom to the hallway. She followed them until they disappeared beside an old locked door. On the door was a faded number: 17.

Chapter Three - Seventeen

Maya spent the entire day thinking about the mysterious boy. She asked her mother about the locked room, but her mother immediately became uncomfortable. "That room has been locked for years," she said. "Don't worry about it." "Why?" Maya asked. "Because there's nothing in there you need." That answer only made Maya more curious. That evening, she searched the house for a key. After nearly an hour, she found one hidden inside an old wooden box in her grandmother's bedroom. The key had a tiny metal tag attached to it with the number 17. Maya's heart began pounding. She waited until her mother went downstairs, then quietly unlocked the door. The room smelled of dust and rain. There was an old desk, a broken mirror, several boxes, and a wall covered in photographs. Maya stepped closer to the photographs and suddenly recognized the boy. He was everywhere. In one photograph, he stood beside a group of students. In another, he was standing outside the house. Written underneath one picture were two words: Elias Vale.

Chapter Four - Elias

That night, Elias appeared again. He was sitting at the end of Maya's bed. She almost screamed, but something about his expression stopped her. He looked sad rather than frightening. "Who are you?" Maya asked. "Elias." "Are you dead?" Elias looked away. "Yes." Maya's stomach twisted. "How long?" "Seventeen years." Maya remembered the photographs. "You died here?" Elias nodded. "I don't remember everything." Maya frowned. "What do you mean?" Elias explained that he remembered the house, the forest, and a stormy night, but everything after that was like a hole in his memory. He only knew that he had died and that something was keeping him trapped there. "Why can I see you?" Maya asked. Elias looked at her carefully. "Because you're the first person who has been able to see me since I died." Maya wanted to run away, but instead she asked the question that frightened her most. "What do you want from me?" Elias whispered, "I want you to find out who killed me."