Dancing with the Dead ✔

Chapter Five - The Devil Wears (Fake) Prada

"Did he wear jeans? Grey t-shirt with a navy green shirt by any chance?" I persist.

"How did you know that?" She gasps. She draws her hand to cover her dropping jaw in an instant.

I knew she knows. I knew it!

She lets out a huff of frustration, finally giving up. "He was wearing jeans for sure. A shirt and a t-shirt underneath. I remember having to cut the tee off him..." She pauses as we hear the soft sound of the door sliding open.

Both of us turn to look at the door simultaneously. A man and a pregnant lady holding her stomach with a painful look on her face enter the room.

"And?" I urge Rebecca to continue her story.

"I'm not sure about the tee's color," she pauses as she stands up. Her enviable five-foot-ten height forces me to look up at her. "But, the outer shirt looked like it could be made out of denim."

Rebecca walks around the counter, approaching the couple. "Now if you'll excuse me." She throws a sharp glare at me. "One of us actually have to work for a living."

She just can't stand not being bitchy for even a minute, can she?

"Wait, what about his belongings?" I cry.

But Rebecca doesn't answer. Instead, she puts her fake nice face on and proceeds to greet the couple.

"Thanks anyway," I say, walking to the door.

"So now what?" the ghost walking beside me says.

Ignoring him, I step outside the ER.

"The search for local student Jill St. John continues. The family pleads for..." the anchor lady's voice from the TV echoes throughout the waiting room.

Wow. The girl's parents must've been huge Bond fans, huh?

I continue to walk past the TV as the news doesn't really interest me—apart from the girl's name, of course. A couple of nurses walking in the opposite direction smile at me as we walk past each other. I greet them politely, all the while trying to keep my cool and ignore the ghost who keeps calling for me louder and louder as if I'm deaf.

Reaching the end of the hallway, I turn left and head towards the ladies' room, hoping it's empty, so the ghost and I can have a little chat. I signal the ghost to follow me.

As I enter the ladies' room, a middle-aged lady walks out of the room. Then I begin to check each of the five chambers inside, making sure the place is empty. The first four chambers are empty, but the last chamber is occupied. I stop before the wide mirror, pretending to wash my hand. Not long after, I hear a loud flush from inside. An old lady walks out of the chamber, taking quite a while since she's using a walking stick.

Now that the place is empty, I look around the room, searching for the ghost who is unexpectedly nowhere to be found. I stomp towards the door and open it, only to find him standing outside with his arms crossed against his chest. Noticing me, he gazes at me with an innocent look upon his face.

"Why are you still outside?"

"I thought you said ladies' rooms are off-limits?" he sounds genuinely confused.

I chuckle. "It's empty and I don't come here to do whatever you thought I was going to do. So, come on in!"

Finally realizing what I mean, he quickly follows me into the restroom.

"Okay. So, rule number one? Don't speak to me whenever there are people around. Or if you do, don't expect me to answer. Capiche?"

"Got it." He nods firmly.

"So, I think it's safe to say that you and John Doe, are the same person."

"John Doe, huh? You sure it's not Freddy?" he teases me with a mischievous smile.

I can feel the blood rushing to my face as I blush uncontrollably. "I am really, really, sorry about that." I bite my lip, cursing myself for blurting out earlier.

To my surprise, he laughs. "It's okay. I guess I must look like Freddy Krueger underneath all that bandages, huh?"

Well, he reads my mind.

Suddenly I hear the door swing open. I quickly turn on the sink again, trying to look as normal as I can. On the corner of my eyes, I can see a teenage girl walking in, heading straight to the first chamber.

"It's okay," I mouth the words towards the ghost, preventing him to go outside again. He's a ghost anyway, no one—but me—would be bothered with his presence.

He chuckles in response.

As we wait, I can't help but observe the mirror in front of me. Even though John is standing right next to me, the only reflection on the mirror is mine. That is one fact that never ceases to amaze me.

It's hard to believe that six years ago I was normal, and now here I am talking to air. Don't get me wrong, I love it. But, sometimes, I can't help but feel like a freak; and that's exactly what people think of me when they know of my so-called gift.

The loud sound of the flush grabs my attention. Not too long after, the blonde girl comes out of the room. I stop washing my hands and pretend to fix my brown hair. The girl stops right next to me and takes out her small red cosmetic bag from her backpack. She takes a lipstick out and starts to retouch her makeup. Afterward, she scrams everything back to her bag and takes her phone out. To my—and apparently the ghost's—surprise, she starts to make a duck face and take a string of selfies without any hesitation.

It's clear to me the ghost is not the only one invisible to this girl. Apparently, I am too.

As I try to hold my laughter, I glance at John who doesn't hold back his ever-growing laughter. Oh, the perks of being a ghost.

After a few minutes, the girl seems to finally be content with her appearance and heads out the restroom.

"So, what are we going to do next?" he asks, still chuckling.

"Well, I suppose all your belongings are with the police now. Ah, speaking about the police, I guess I should pay 'em a visit, to see where the investigation is. Maybe they already find your identity," I say, trying to get his hopes up as I flash a soft smile.

Now, where's the fun in that?

What?

Admit it. You want to investigate this by yourself. You don't want them to find out who he is yet.

Hey! That's cruel!

Don't pretend like you're a saint, Alexis. I know I'm not.

"Doc? Are you okay?" the ghost's voice stops evil me from saying another word.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"So, the police station. See you after work?"

"Yeah, sure." I nod with excitement.

"Great," he says, forming one of the most gorgeous smiles I've ever seen. A smile that melts me to the bone.

A/N: Sorry for the long wait! I got so busy making the trailers that I neglected my story :'( I hope you like this chapter. As always, votes and comments are always greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading, see you next week!