"She was dead to begin with", a kid said in a hushed voice, eyes darting around, capturing the eye of the small group huddled around her,"I swear I saw her, one second she was... she was.. There, and then she was suddenly, not", she whispered this time looking directly at Sarah.
Sarah's eyes were twinkling with excitement."Really!!!", she said, grinning ear to ear while everyone else cringed away. Her friend went ahead and explained how she had seen a ghost in the library. She swore the ghost was looking directly at her like the ghost knew she would be there at that moment.
He sighed. This kind of rumor had been going on in the school for the last hundred years or so. He knew what was going to happen next, so he knew what he had to do.
He tried to remember exactly what he knew about this little... Situation...
The story about a pale, beautiful girl in white, looking at the stars. They say she looks at them every night. But sometimes she is not there. Normally, the next day there is a lot of commotion in the news. Personally, he didn't care. But since she cared and was going to spend a night in the library, he had decided to spend the night there before she did.
That was how he ended up in the library. In the middle of the night. He looked at the sky from where he sat, trying to see what that ghost would see if she was real. Then he noticed a falling star. People say that if you wish on a falling star, the wish comes true. He wished for her. Sarah, he thought closing his eyes.
When he opened them, he saw a pair of eyes. They were definitely darker than black, blacker than the night sky. Then he realized, he was supposed to be the only human in the library... But then that means.... "I wonder why humans wish upon a falling star, what good can a star be if it itself is falling".
Her voice was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard. Unlike the rumors, she was not wearing white, she was not that pale either. In his opinion, the only give away that she was not human was that her feet were not touching the ground and she was missing her right shoe.
"So you like Sarah? That pretty girl who doesn't even notice you? ", she mumbled to herself, looking at the stars, "So you really came..... I thought the star's were lying this time because they say you can see and hear me", she smirked floating in the air.
"I can", he replied, looking puzzled. She looked at him directly for the first time, looking shocked, then scared, and then she backed towards the wall but went straight through it.
So she was the ghost. He smiled. If he hadn't seen Sarah, he would have thought she was the most beautiful girl in the world and the cutest.
He sighed, standing up and dusting his pants. He needed to talk to this ghost. Tell her not to scare Sarah Sparks tomorrow when she comes to complete her dare. She came back, her face curious now.
"How did you get in? ", she asked nobody, in particular, "All the doors and windows are sealed shut."
He tried to remember."I got in through the door", He said roaming around looking at the tall shelves.
She looked even more curious, "How can you see me...."He didn't think she was expecting him to seriously answer, but he responded anyway.
"Everyone can see you", he said.
"Well, yes", she replied, "but that is only when the Moonlight is touching me and they are scared or excited. Not in sunlight, especially not in the dark. Moreover, they can never hear me", she completed, sitting on the ceiling, upside down, still looking at him.
He shrugged. "I can see you and hear you". She looked overjoyed one moment and then she started to cry. Then falling from where she was sitting on the ceiling, upside down, "You can?"She asked all teary eyed. "But how?" she was halfway down and he was sure she was going to hit her head. But instead she changed position and was in front of the windows before he could blink. Looking at the stars. Looking like she was trying to read a book.
"You are a ghost", he stated, crossing his hands.
She looked at him, "I know I am", she replied rolling her eyes.
"Are you bound to this place?" he asked, "Like some ghosts have to stay in one place. As I read"
"No silly", she replied like that was the most stupid question in the world, "Why? You want me to go out with you?" She said. Was that a smirk he saw?
"No", he replied, smiling, "But Sarah is coming tomorrow night and I want you to go away from here. So that she is not scared."
She looked sad again. "Okay", she said, and went back to look at the stars.
He sighed and went home. Sighed.
"Good night mum", he whispered to his mother's photo as he went to sleep. He had lost her years ago. He wouldn't even remember her face if not for this photo.
The next day, he noticed Ghost girl standing at the back of the class. Boring holes in the back of his head. That class took a lifetime to get over. He dashed out as fast as he could. As he walked down the hallway, she walked with him.
"I can see you", he whispered through gritted teeth.
"Oh, I keep forgetting", She said floating around like a little kid with a major sugar rush.
"Why does nobody talk to you?" she asked.
"I don't know", he replied, looking around till he noticed Sarah walking down the hallway. Finally.
She looked so beautiful today too. He smiled.
"Even she didn't notice you", ghost girl said. Like he needs to be reminded of that.
"What is your problem?" he asked.
"I am curious", she replied, shrugging. Then looked away.
"Bye", she said not even glancing in his direction as she took a random girls' handkerchief and started running.
The girl followed her thinking it was the wind and then bumped into a guy on the way. Ghost girl kept the handkerchief down and smiled. The guy helped the girl up. Both blushing.
He smiled. So she wanted them to notice each other. Then suddenly, she looked at him, and just as suddenly, she was gone.He spent the rest of the day wondering about this ghost girl and planning on meeting her again.
After school, he went back to the library. She was standing outside. He gestured her to follow him, then took her home. He showed her the window to his room and asked her to get there as he went in through the door.
"I'm home", he announced and went up to his room. "Welcome baaack", she smirked. He sighed, not wanting to talk about it.
"What's your name?", He asked,"if you don't mind me asking", looking down, he laced the question with politeness. She looked shocked.
"I think it was Katherine?" it was more of a question than an answer.
"Katherine...... I know that you don't know me..... And I haven't really done much to help you in any way......." he paused... She had no reason to do this for him.
"You want me to help you get Sarah", she said giggling. He didn't say anything.
"Well then I will, but in exchange, you will let me stay here with you", she said, "If you won't let me stay in the library, the girls got to sleep somewhere"
He smiled, "Sure, just not on my bed". That was easy, He thought and then went to sleep.
They spent the next day trying to get Sarah's attention, but no use. She just didn't see him. It seemed like she had spent the night in the haunted library and had become some kind of a celebrity if she was not one already. If it was difficult to get noticed by her before, it was impossible now.
The first lecture ghost girl kept dropping Sarah's things and someone else always took that chance to pick it up. Then in the recess she left a note for Sarah to come and meet her secret admirer and Sarah being the brave girl she was, she actually came. Then, during gym, Kate threw a ball at Sarah, not too fast so she doesn't get hurt. Sam (a classmate) took the chance to pretend to save her.
Then Kate made him yell "SARAH!!!" in the middle of a lecture... No, worse.
By the end of the day, Katherine was furious with him, saying she was just not good enough. So she pushed Sarah, on him. He was ready to catch her, but Sarah just went right through him.
WAIT!WHAT?
Katherine didn't look surprised. She just folded get arms and stood there. He didn't know what to say. Suddenly everything made sense. But at the same time nothing did. Before he knew it, he was at home.
"Damn!!", he shouted and let out a string of curse words. Knowing nobody would hear him anyways. When did he die? He couldn't remember... He couldn't breathe for some time.
Maybe ghosts didn't need to...He stopped breathing...At least he tried...But it didn't work. I guess even ghosts need to breathe..., He thought. When did he die?
There were so many questions... He was so confused...When did he die? He cried, screamed, for, what seemed like days... But when he was done, Katherine was standing there, on the door frame. Her hands folded.
"I'll wait as long as it takes", she said quietly.
"When did I die", he croaked.
"We will need your name to know that", she said.
Walking on the ceiling... "Can I do that?" he asked, distraction being his defence mechanism.
"No, it takes years of practice", she said as he jumped and landed on the ceiling, and then started walking.
He smirked and she rolled her eyes.
"What's your name?" She asked politely.Suddenly, he realized nobody had called him anything at all. Ever. Not even in any of my memories.
"I don't know", he said suddenly scared.
"Well, till we find your real name, let's call you Blake", she said smiling, wow, she can look like that?
"It was my brother's name", she smiled.