Luke had always done his best to forget certain aspects of his past; where he'd come from, where he ended up. But now, Calum was bringing those secrets out of him with ease, and suddenly he didn't know why he'd ever been so hesitant to share his story.
When he first moved to Sydney, his parents were determined to keep a low profile and stay out of sight, fixated on the idea that the more isolated the were, the safer it would be for them. They didn't care much for how Luke wanted to go to school, make friends and do normal things.
They bought a small farmhouse, a couple of miles or so away from the nearest town. It wasn't a nice place for a kid to grow up, and Luke detested his parents for forcing him to live there - but after a few weeks of relentless persuasion and the blond threatening to call the police, they got him a place in the nearest school.
Once his parents were sure they hadn't been followed from Perth, they moved into the town and lived there as ordinary residents. Luke had never been so happy about anything, and swore he'd never go back to that hell hole.
"I can't believe you're making me go back to that hell hole," Luke muttered, having failed to stand his ground. Calum was just too easy to give into, with his big brown puppy dog eyes and cute little pout.
Calum just laughed, a dangerous twinkle in his eye. "It's not without good reason. You trust me, right?"
"Of course."
Luke wasn't surprised when Calum tilted his head and gave him that cool, because I'm about to ruin your undead life kinda look. On any other day, the blond mightn't have been so soft, but even he was willing to admit that it was a logical place to start.
Apparently, Calum was in a particularly crazy mood, because he opted for stealing a car. He wasn't sure why the idea appealed to him so much, but what was the point in playing it safe anymore?
The body of the man they'd shot was discovered a few hours after they had left, and it was difficult to escape the image of the blood stained carpet as it was being broadcasted on every news channel available. Calum was finding it all rather amusing.
"Calum Hood, aged 16, has struck yet again. His first victim was Luke Hemmings, a boy from his school who was heading to a party when he ran into the teenager, who appears to be on a killing spree. We advise everyone to stay inside their homes, and report anything suspicious."
That's what the reporter had said, and so little of it was true. Even Luke had laughed when he first heard it, because he certainly hadn't been heading to a party, and had absolutely no idea where they had gotten that information from. He would so not be remembered that way.
Still, if they thought getting around unnoticed was near impossible before, they hadn't anticipated these circumstances.
So stealing a car was by the far the best plan either one of them could come up with.
"We don't have the keys, do you reckon you could hot-wire it?" Calum asked, tapping the tainted windows with the back of his hand. It was the only car on the street that wasn't in a driveway, so it would be the easiest to take.
Luke raised his eyebrows, walking through the door and getting comfortable in the drivers seat. With everything he'd been feeling recently, it had taken him a while to remember that he was still technically a ghost, and walking through objects was one of the perks. "Sure."
"No way?" Calum muttered. "I wanted to drive!"
"You haven't got your permit, and I do. It's decided."
Calum bit his lip to stop laughing. "Yeah, because people are going to love seeing a car driving itself with an accused murderer in the passenger seat. That won't be weird at all. It's totally decided."
"Have I ever mentioned that you're really annoying?"
Calum grinned. "Yeah, it's been said."
Luke had seen enough people on TV hot-wire a car, so it wasn't that difficult. Once he let Calum in, he got to work, and almost screamed with delight when the engine roared to life. "I'm so awesome."
Calum slammed down his foot on the accelerator, and they shot off down the street. He couldn't believe he was doing something so illegal, and he loved it. Why hadn't he ever thought about something like that before?
"Calum, maybe you should... Uh, slow down a bit."
But Calum ignored him, taking up their speed to just below 80mph. The road that connected the town with Luke's old house was long and dusty, leading mostly through empty farmland and derelict buildings. The faster they went, the better he felt.
"Well at least I can't die a second time," Luke rolled his eyes, realising that Calum wouldn't listen. "Or at least, I don't think I can?"
Calum gripped the steering wheel, a smile plastered on his face and his eyes wide with exhilaration. "How far? I could do this all day!"
"Another mile or two, if I remember correctly. But really, you should slow down, not many people live out here but the path gets really windy and it's dark. You might crash. I don't want you to die. It's not as great as it looks."
"Thanks for the concern," Calum said. "I'll be fine, though."
Luke wasn't so sure, but didn't dare say another word. Calum was acting in a way that was almost scary, and he felt fearful to step out of line. He was probably just thinking too negatively, anyway - chances were, they'd be fine and get there without any problems.
His pessimistic mindset might be his downfall, even beyond the grave.
They pulled up outside the old farmhouse not long after (given the speed Calum was driving at), which was now abandoned and on the verge of falling apart, and Luke felt his heart ice over and drop in his chest like it weighed half a ton.
The place looked almost exactly like it had when he'd left, but that wasn't even the worst of it. Hemmings was still written in messy, red sharpie across the mailbox, and Luke's football was buried in the long grass at the side of the house. Whether he liked it or not, it had once been his home, and the chills that came with his return threatened to paralyse him.
If he was going to find any answers, he'd find them inside.
~~~~~~~
A/n: so today has not been a good day (understatement)
No matter where you're from or who you are, don't let anyone tell you that you're not important because you are. There will always be people who care and are willing to stand up for you
Peace will win, fear will lose |-/
Stay strong everyone, ily <3 xox
YOU ARE READING
ghost - cake
Fanfiction"This is a trick, isn't it? Stop trying to scare me, it isn't working." --- Where Calum falls in love with the ghost of a boy he watched die - and loses his sanity somewhere along the way.
