Chapter Two
The wind howled ominously outside causing the bedroom window to rattle time and time again, which did nothing to calm my frayed nerves.
I pulled the duvet around me tighter, as if that alone could protect me from the inhabitant of my new room, whenever he chose to appear.
Glancing down at my watch yet again, I was reminded that I needed to sleep, my heavy eyelids were sign enough of the pressing need.
2:35am
But for sleep to come now was impossible, as I was too wound up and worried to go to sleep, not wanting to be caught unawares if the ghost decided to return.
As soon as the ghost had left a couple of hours ago, I contemplated on what I should do next; a couple of scenarios running through my head. All of them including running to Mum. None ending well.
I sighed, dragging my hand down my face, knowing full well that worrying wouldn't get me anywhere. There was also the ever pressing concern of heat as the duvet did little to ward off the chill in the room.
I gently eased out of bed glancing around the well illuminated room; not wanting to take any chances in the darkness- especially not with a ghost on the prowl.
Seeing the coast was clear, I placed my bare feet on the freezing ground, shivering at the cold that lay heavy on the room as I exited the warm sanctuary my duvet provided.
Hesitantly I walked towards the fireplace; hoping the old, dust covered and aged looking fireplace would work. It was a grand old thing, that took up nearly half the wall, with intricate patterns paved into the stone structure, as years of dust lay undisturbed on its surface.
Kneeling down I gingerly felt around the fireplace, and after a moment or two I finally located the little knob I had been looking for, pressing it in until I heard the faint clicking sound.
I hoped that after all these years it would still work.
I quickly twisted the knob, expecting a fire to light the stone hearth. Much to my dismay it didn't work, but I wasn't one to give up so quickly, especially since my grandmother had a similar fireplace at her home and I knew sometimes it needed a little coaxing before it would work.
Thankfully after the fifth try, a warm blaze was aglow.
I stood up, moving back a little as the fire heated up, feeling a little happy inside at my small accomplishment.
"I'm surprised you managed to make it work."
A little cry made its way out of my mouth before I could stop it, as I whirled around to find the ghost- Cole, sitting on the window ledge, his arms crossed over his chest as his legs lay out in front of him- in a posture that was totally relaxed.
The same couldn't be said for me as I stood rigid, frozen in place, my eyes glued to him. What unnerved me the most with him showing up was that I hadn't even heard a sound; no whoosh, no click or whatever sound ghosts made when they popped out of nowhere.
Seeing ghosts was one thing but being attacked by one was on a whole different level, especially when they made no noise.
I swallowed hard as Cole glanced at the fire then back at me, his greener then grass eyes much brighter than they had been when I had last saw him. As a matter of fact, his whole body seemed more solid than before- the outline of the window behind him could only be seen if I looked long and hard enough.
"Cat got your tongue?" He asked after a lengthy silence, when neither of us moved nor spoke.
He rolled his eyes as at my silence, "At least the last occupants were more fun to scare." He said in a voice that was both deep and rich, "You're no fun, little mouse."
My curiosity spiked up a little at his words that left so much to the imagination. I plucked the first thought that formed.
"They could see you too?"
Did that mean I wasn't the only one who could see them? The possibility of that had my feelings thrown in a loop. It would mean I wasn't alone anymore. But before any of the emotions could sink in, Cole answered.
"No. That's why it was more fun." He chuckled as if remembering a fond memory. "Especially when they brought in an exorcist."
I frowned at his words, noting them down in my mind to go back on later when I had more time to think.
I slowly moved backwards towards the door, having no idea what I would do once I got out but I rationalised it was better than being stuck in a room with a ghost who could be one of the vengeful types. His eyes were on me instantly, an elegant eyebrow quirked up in amusement at my apparent escapade.
"There's no use escaping. You do know I can go anywhere in this house, should I desire to do so?"
I stopped, "So wait, you're not damned to my bedroom for eternity?"
His eyebrows knitted together as he sent me a small glare, "What an absurd question."
I had hoped he would explain further but to my dismay he looked away from me and towards the window, as the milky rays of the moon illuminated his breathtaking features, making him look almost unearthly.
I bit my lip as I mulled over what I should do next. For a start, it would be a good idea to find out more about the ghost, before deciding on the best course of action.
"I take it you're not leaving then." I said timidly, rubbing my arms to get more warmth as the fire had yet to heat up the whole room.
I heard a soft derisive snort, as the ghost remained looking out the window.
"You can try making me leave."
I had to fight down the shiver that was threatening to escape at his deceptively smooth but cold thinly veiled threat.
I took a deep breath to calm my nerves as I took a step forward further into the room, an idea forming in my head. I needed all the confidence I could muster for the next part. This instantly caught the attention of Cole, who raised an eyebrow, a look of mild surprise on his features, "That was the part you screamed and ran far away from me."
"Look, I'm pretty sure I'm not like the other residents you've had before, and I know no matter how you hide it, you're curious about me as much as I am about you." I said as I moved a little further into the room. Closer to where Cole sat but far enough to escape should he want to harm me in any way.
I didn't fancy the idea of running in the house in the darkness either, knowing full well the ghost could follow me out, but it was all I had.
"You made that sound like a love confession." He said, his response surprising me as a small smirk played on his lips.
From all the ghosts that could have haunted my new home, I had to be stuck with an arrogant and an impossibly cocky one.
Ignoring his remark I continued on, "So until I know for sure why this is happening," I indicated between the two of us with my hand, "I think it would be in our best interest to get on well."
"Now it seems like we're at a business meeting." He said, boredom dripping like honey on a spoon from his tone.
I narrowed my eyes slightly at him, tapping my foot against the floorboards as I tried my best to keep alert but the tiredness was hitting me hard. The move to the new house had been long and hard, and not being able to sleep because of a certain ghost had my body feeling heavy and sluggish.
"Do we have an agreement?" I said again, blinking back the tiredness as I tried to keep my frustration at bay.
He tapped a long, elegant finger on his chin as he seemed to contemplate my words.
"No."
He moved from the ledge and stood up fully, straightening his black double breasted waistcoat.
It was the first time I paid attention to his clothes, and I didn't know why it took so long for me to notice.
He wore a simple white dress shirt with a crimson neck tie under his waistcoat, and long black trousers. Something niggled at the back of my mind as I tried but failed to put his clothes to an exact era.
Who knew how long he had been a resident of this lonely house?
Unfortunately history had never been one of my strongest points.
My gaze didn't go unnoticed by the ghost as he walked towards me. I was about to take a step back when he got too close to comfort but he stopped just shy of it.
"Cease your staring. It is very unbecoming."
There was his way of talking too and the aristocratic accent that accompanied his words as he spoke.
Call it intuition, I was certain that he had died quite a while ago.
Fingers covered my vision before they snapped together making me jump and stumble back a couple of steps, nearly causing me to lose my balance.
Like before Cole had managed to come close to where I was and scatter my wits while I was in deep thought.
My eyebrows knitted together as I sent a small glare his way, scowling a little when I saw amusement swim in his eyes.
"When did you die?"
The words were out of my mouth before I could even gather my thoughts.
I took a step back away from him, as the remnants of amusement vanished from his expression only to make room for anger.
"You are far too curious for your own good." The tone of his voice hadn't changed but his words still brought a chill to the room no heat could distinguish.
"What are you going to do?" I asked, trying not to let the fear leak into my voice as unbidden thoughts of various different and painful ways of dying coming to mind.
At this he raised his eyebrow- something he seemed to do a lot around me- and stood up straighter.
"Do? Nothing. I was merely stating a fact."
I wanted to bang my head against the nearest wall for jumping to conclusions so quickly. So far the ghost had done nothing to me. I really needed to get a grip of myself and stop becoming so afraid so easily.
"If you are to be the occupant of this house, I would like some of my questions answered." He stated.
I relaxed slightly as he took a few steps back and began pacing my room with his hands clasped behind his back. I shifted slightly so I was facing him. No sound was made as he walked, and I would have been almost fooled that this was a real person in front of me, if it weren't for the ablaze hearth I could just make out through him.
"I'd like some of my own answered too." I said as I followed him with my eyes.
He nodded his head without stopping, surprising me with his complacency, "As you wish."
He stopped pacing and faced me instead, his green eyes staring at me intensely, making it hard for me not to squirm under his heated gaze.
He crossed his arms over his chest as he took a couple of steps backwards, towards the fireplace.
My eyes widened with panic, "Be careful! You're going to get burnt!"
His eyes widened a fraction, a look of surprise painted on his features as he stopped just a foot away from the fireplace.
The look was quickly replaced by curiosity, and too late did I realise my mistake when he continued backwards and passed through the flames and disappeared into the wall.
His nearly solid form had me fooled into nearly forgetting he was a ghost. I sighed, rubbing my eyes. I really needed some sleep.
"Getting burnt is highly improbable, since I am not one of the living."
I congratulated myself internally for not screaming bloody murder when he spoke again.
I looked towards his voice and saw him standing beside the door, leaning against the wall, arms across his broad shoulders.
"Your near solid form had me fooled." I replied, as I dragged my hand through my hair, blinking quickly as I tried to ward off the sleep. Last thing I wanted to do was to let my guard down completely with Cole around.
"That brings me to my first question. How is it that you can see me?" He asked, green eyes sparkling in the light.
I simply shrugged, "I'd like to know the same thing. I've had this ability since I can remember."
The side of his mouth tilted downwards and it didn't take a genius to guess he wasn't pleased with my answer, but he would have to learn to live with it.
A small smile flitted onto my lips at the irony of the thought.
"Your expression is annoying me."
I fought the urge to roll my eyes at his words but managed not to, settling for a small scowl to send his way.
"You're free to look elsewhere rather than at my face."
But he didn't, his emerald gaze steady on me as he seemed to contemplate something. The silence ticked on, and being under his gaze made it even more so awkward.
"How long have you..." I tried to find the right word to complete the sentence as 'living' wasn't the most accurate, but it seems I didn't have to.
"Been here?" He finished my sentence as he shrugged, "Long enough not to count the years any more."
I furrowed my eyebrows at his vague response, but for now it would have to do as it didn't seem like he would add anymore to that sentence.
"Have you always been alone?" I asked, edging slowly to my bed, the exhaustion becoming more and more profound as the seconds ticked on. If the ghost had wanted to harm me, he would have already done so.
Cole watched my every move, as I slowly made myself comfortable in bed. I didn't lay down, instead choosing to remain seated. Until he left, I had to keep my eyes open no matter how difficult it was.
"It's my turn to ask the question, little mouse." He said, instead of answering my question. I wanted to tell him to call me by my name, but I didn't want to push my luck with him, not when I knew so little about him.
I nodded my head, stifling back another yawn.
"For someone who can see a ghost, you're very calm, even with your ability."
I knew what he was asking me, without him having to say it directly.
"It's true you're the first ghost I've interacted with like this, but you haven't given me a reason to be afraid. And I'm sure you wouldn't appreciate it if I screamed every time you appeared, especially since it looks like we're stuck with each other for a while."
"I take it you aren't leaving then?" He asked, repeating my earlier statement as a question with a wry smile.
I shook my head, "That's not my choice to make. My mum can't see ghosts, nor can I spontaneously ask her to relocate. Not after the time and effort it took her to find this place."
He raised a single eyebrow, "Why did she want to move to this particular place?"
I shrugged, "She never told me the reason why she chose this house, only that she wanted to get away fro-" I broke away from my sentence, suddenly realising what I was about to say and to whom I was about to say it to.
"Why did you stop?"
"You've asked me more than one question." I simply stated, not daring to look up into his burning gaze.
"It seems so." He simply said.
I was thankful he didn't pursue the subject.
I finally had the courage to look up at him, but rather than looking at me like I expected him to do, he was gazeing out of window again with an expression I couldn't quite fathom. For some reason, it had me wanting to ask why he stared out the window with such a face, but I was wise enough not to.
He didn't seem to be the type to appreciate people prying.
As if feeling my gaze, he turned to me, raising an eyebrow in question.
"What is it?" He asked.
My eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "Nothing, why do you ask?"
"You had the kind of expression like you had something to say."
I tried not to show my surprise at his ability to read me like an open book. "No, nothing."
He remained silent looking at me with a blank face. His eyes however were far from expressionless- curiosity burning in those vibrant green eyes as he held my gaze.
I opened my mouth to ask what the matter was, but before I could get any words out, he looked away and simply vanished.
One minute he was leaning against the wall and the next he wasn't. I blinked a couple of times, making sure my eyes weren't playing tricks, but the room remained empty no matter how many times I blinked.
"Not again."
-A/N: It's been awhile, dear reader. First and foremost, I would like to apologise for the long wait. The truth is, planning stories has never been my strong point, and for ages I've been dancing in between chapters, starting one then scrapping it because I didn't think it was right.
Secondly, I want to thank each and every one of you for your immense support and patience. Without you guys, I would have quit this story long time ago but thanks to your wonderful support, I have been adding life to this story, word by word. I will work on updating this story more quickly, than before.
So thank you. I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter.
Any thoughts on Cole?
12/12/2016 Update- Uploaded a picture