Chapter Three
"You must be Zeinth, nice to meet you." Said the short, balding man with an over eager handshake and a wide, toothy smile.
I smiled gingerly back, waiting for the man to let go of my hand and introduce himself.
I had just entered the busy student enrollment office in college- the one that I would soon be attending-when the man had come out from somewhere in the room and thrust his hand out to me to shake.
"I'm in charge of teaching the forensic science and criminology course." Cue an even wider smile. "You can call me Paul. We're all adults here so there's no need to call me Mr or sir."
"It's nice to meet you too." I said, finally having the chance to speak, as he let go of my hand.
"It's good that you applied when you did. The course starts on Thursday and you'll have all the necessary paperwork and textbooks on that day, so I wouldn't worry if I were you." He said enthusiastically, pushing his glasses up his nose.
I wondered, briefly how someone who taught such a gritty course could be so lively.
"My office is room twenty-eight A on the fourth floor, at the end of the hall on the left. If you need any help or have any questions, just come right up and knock. We'll get you settled right in so don't worry about being the new kid on the block."
I gave him a smile and a quick nod of my head. "Thank you."
If it were possible, his hundred watt smile turned brighter, "No problem. Now off you pop. I don't think you want to be indoors in this stuffy place, when its so nice and sunny outside, do you?"
Before I could get a word in, he did the shooing motion with his hands, brown eyes twinkling from behind his glasses, "I'll see you bright and early Thursday morning Zeinth."
I was surprised at how abrupt the meeting had been, but I supposed that was for the better as a a blonde woman pushed past us, hands laden with folders, shooting us an impatient look.
"See you si- Paul." I caught myself just before the forbidden word slipped out. Some habits were hard to leave behind.
My footsteps echoed as they hit the linoleum floors, as I walked through the brightly lit building. The college was nice enough, if not a little on the small side. It was bright with splashes of colour where pictures amongst other art hung on the white walls of the corridors.
There were a few people milling about around the college but I couldn't tell if they were students or not as there were no uniforms worn here.
When I caught curious glances thrown my way, I looked down at my trainers and walked a little quicker to the front entrance, past the front desk and security, through the revolving glass doors and out into the brilliant sunshine.
It had been a week since we moved to the town and today was the first day I had left my house to explore the town and make sure I had a place in my chosen course at college- mum had nagged me into it and I finally decided to get it over and done with.
Most troubling of all was the fact I hadn't seen Cole since the first night we moved. I so wanted to believe he had gone, and feel the relief that would come with it, but all I felt was wariness with the knowledge that there was no way he would have left the house.
Especially not since our last conversation.
I hardly took in sight of the pretty town and all of its pastel coloured buildings as I kept my head down and walked my way back up the steep slope up to the house.
By the time I had reached the house, I was tired and thirsty as the walk had been long and exhausting. I paused outside, trying to catch my breath.
The three story house stood out of place in the morning sun, its darkened stone crawling with ivy and vines- it looked as if it hadn't been touched since the victorian age. Even the big oak tree that stood at the end of the garden seemed dead, no sign of green shoots despite it nearing to warmer weather.
Yet again I couldn't help comparing my new home to the old one I left behind.
I cut my thoughts off before they began wandering in a direction I didn't want to visit right at the moment.
Not when stranger things were afoot.
Taking out the key from my jean pocket that mum had given me at breakfast, I opened the front door to the empty house and stepped inside, feeling the cool air that greeted me. It was as if the warmth didn't reach inside this cold, cold house.
Mum was out at the local surgery in town for most part of the day sorting out some paperwork for her new job so I had the whole house to myself, which wasn't such a reassuring thought.
I closed the door behind me, and thankfully its well oiled hinges meant it didn't creak ominously, which would have added to the already sombre atmosphere that seemed to be surrounding the place.
Although the same couldn't be said about the wooden floorboards that let out a low groan as I walked past the hallway and into the large kitchen.
I hasn't stopped looking over my shoulder during the week to see if Cole was about, and today was no different.
The sunlight streamed through the dust covered kitchen window and lit the whole room with a soft yellow glow, making the mahogany cabinets seem glossier than they actually were and the kitchen warmer than it actually was.
I went over to the sink and opened the tap, which didn't budge until I yanked at it and only then it let out a guttural sound before cold water trickled out.
I let out a sigh, getting the glass from the draining board.
This whole house needed an upgrade.
As the water trickled into my glass I planned my day in my head.
First I would finish a crime novel I had been reading and then maybe explore the house a little more. Although what there was left to explore, was another question to be answered.
This past week I had done the exploration and found nothing of interest apart from the locked door I assumed lead to the attic, in the study room.
No matter where I had looked I couldn't locate the key nor had mum been given one which was funny.
Closing the tap, I turned around still deep in thought as I raised the glass to my lips to take a sip when the sight in front of me caused the glass to slip from my fingers and smash to the ground into tiny little wet pieces.
Sitting on the big wooden table in the middle of the kitchen, was Cole with his steady, forest green eyes on me. Even when the glass lay shattered on the floor, he looked at me without so much as batting a lid.
"You're quite clumsy aren't you?" He asked, his words echoing from the first time we met.
"Where have you been?" I couldn't help but blurt out, momentarily forgetting about the broken glass.
A moment later I regretted asking the question when I saw the arrogant smirk on his lips, "Were you missing me?"
I fought the urge to roll my eyes as I eyed him up and down, not sure if I should keep my guard up or brush up the glass fragments that were strewn all over the floor.
"No really, where did you disappear off too?" I asked, deciding to stay where I was. "You're not doing a good job of haunting the house."
"I wasn't aware you were one to believe in such clichés." He replied, his chin on his hand as he flicked his eyes around the room until they rested on me again.
"Don't avoid my questions." I didn't know where this new found confidence was coming from but it was soon gone when Cole got up from the table abruptly.
I thought my words must have annoyed him but he wasn't paying attention to me, rather he had his head tilted to the side as if he was listening to something.
I tried to find the noise but all I could hear was the rhythmic clinking of the boiler.
"Someone's coming." Cole said before he disappeared.
I didn't know what he meant but as I manoeuvred around the glass carefully, three knocks rang loud through the house.
I furrowed my eyebrows, wondering who it could be. We didn't have any neighbours as our house stood lone but curiosity propelled me to take steps until I stood in front of the door.
"Look out of the window next to the door." Cole instructed from behind me.
Placing a hand on my heart, I turned to shoot him a small glare which he returned with a quirk of his a brow as he stood at the foot of the stairs with his arms crossed over his chest.
Nonetheless I complied as knocks came again, curiosity propelling me to take a quick peep.
Looking through the small window I could see a woman with fiery red hair and lips to match stand there. I could make out little all else.
I pulled my eyebrows together and was about to open the door when something struck me when she moved back a little.
I was hit with realisation that I could see our garden through her, though it wasn't very transparent.
I pulled back with a gasp when she moved her head to look at the window I had been staring out of.
My head whirled as I took another step back.
"How can this be happening?"
"Who is it?" Cole asked but I hardly heard him as my thoughts raced on. Why was a ghost knocking on my door? Who was she? What did she want?
My thoughts were interrupted by two things.
One, the female ghost continued to knock, the urgency evident in her quick knocks and two, I felt Coles hand on my shoulder.
I flinched away from his touch, not because it was cold but quite the contrary. It was warm.
Cole gave me a side glance from under his long, dark lashes as he stood beside me before turning to look towards the door.
"Who is it?"
I shook my head, trying to find the right words out of the jumbled mess that had become of my mind.
"I don't know." I whispered glancing at the door then back at him, "But she's a ghost just like you."
A funny look passed his face which I couldn't quite explain. A mixture of anger and something else I couldn't lay my finger on. A second later it was gone as he turned his back on the door, dismissing whoever waited at the other side.
"Ignore her. She'll stop when she knows no one can hear her."
"Who is she?" I asked as I threw an uncertain glance at the door. It all felt so unreal.
"That's not important. She won't bother you if she thinks you can't see or hear her." He said as he walked past me to the kitchen.
I paused, wondering if I should find out what she wanted but then decided against it.
The last thing I needed was another ghost to deal with. One was a handful and I couldn't imagine what two would do to my sanity. It was best I sated my curiosity until I knew exactly what I was dealing with.
"You sound sure she won't be a bother." I said as I walked back into the kitchen.
He smiled at me as I came, but it was a smile devoid of warmth. "I am."
He resumed his previous position at the table as the knocks became loud, insistent noise.
I stopped, looking back into the hallway, not knowing what to do.
Was it right just to ignore her when she seemed to be desperate?
As if reading my thoughts Cole spoke, making the decision for me. "Leave it. No good will come from inviting a ghost over your threshold. She will go soon enough."
A thought struck me, "Why can't she just pass through walls like you can?"
Cole kept his gaze on the window as he answered, "I haven't a clue."
I scrunched my eyebrows together but before I could ask him another question, he glanced at the floor where the glass pieces still lay before looking back at me pointedly.
Sighing quietly, I headed for the dustpan and brush, knowing it would be an impossible task getting anything out of the stubborn ghost.
In a couple of minutes I had swept up all the pieces diligently as I knew mum walked about the house barefoot and dumped it in the rubbish bin as Cole silently watched, only commenting if I had missed a piece. Even with him sitting further away from where I stood, I came to understand how sharp his gaze was to see pieces I had missed.
The knocking had stopped too and I had to fight down the burning curiosity of finding out who she was but with curiosity came trouble.
Causing mum more grief than she already was in, wasn't on my list.
When I turned back to him, he was still staring at me intently but his gaze wasn't focused, as if he didn't really see me.
"What?" I asked indignantly.
His attention snapped back to me like an elastic band, as he shook his head slightly, causing white strands of hair to fall over his eyes.
"You remind me of someone."
I looked at him quizzically, not expecting such an answer. "Who?"
But he didn't reply.
I decided to try a different approach.
"Who was that woman? You seemed like you knew."
Yet he remained tight lipped, his handsome face giving nothing away.
I felt my anger rising for the first time since arriving here. But I quickly put a lid on my temper, counting down in my head as I had done many times before in the past to vanquish the anger. It wouldn't solve anything.
Letting out a deep breath I didn't know I had been holding, I quickly nodded my head. "It's better I don't know. You do what you like as long as it doesn't cause any trouble for me or my mum and I'll keep out of your way."
And with that, I left the room, wondering just how to get rid of a ghost who was so admant in staying.
-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-
The whole not causing trouble rule flew out the window around dinner time in the evening.
An unwanted guest had seemed to think it was perfectly acceptable to sit with me and mum at the dining table as we began to eat the lasagna mum had prepared after coming home from work.
It took all of my self control not to shoot glares at the seat next to mum which was occupied by none other than Cole, who didn't seem at all perturbed by my obvious annoyance, but seemed to rather enjoy it, if his smirk was anything to go by.
Thet absolute cheek of his.
"How did your visit to the college go, Zei?" Mum asked, glancing up from a book she had been reading beside her plate. I molded my expression to something pleasant but I was pretty sure I was grimacing.
"Do tell. I'm dying to know." Cole said before chuckling at his own joke.
I ignored him as I focused on my food rather at mum or him. I was afraid if I looked up, mum would figure something was wrong and I couldn't exactly tell her we had an arrogant ghost for company without her sending me to a mental institution or worse, blaming herself.
"It was nice. I start on Thursday." I answered before quickly deflecting any chance of another question with one of my own. "How was work for you?"
She gave me a tired smile, strands of hair coming out of her tight bun, "It was hectic but all the paperwork is sorted. The staff were all really nice."
Cole seemed to be bored with the train of conversation as he stood up from the table. My spirits were raised as I thought he would leave but instead he came over to where I sat.
I couldn't turn to look at what he was doing behind me without alerting mum but a second later I didn't need to as he leaned over my shoulder to look at the food on my plate.
"What is this curious thing you're eating, called?"
I swallowed hard, trying to keep my expression from giving away anything away, especially since having him so close caused me to feel a sort of thrumming warmth coming from his body.
Well, there went my ghosts-feeling-cold-as-ice theory.
"The lasagna is really nice mum." I said, adding extra empathsis on the lasagna so he got the hint and moved away.
Thankfully he did as he hummed in thought.
"I'm glad you like it." She answered before turning back to the book she had next to her plate, fork poised in midair as she seemed really into her book.
I took the opportunity to throw a quick warning glance at Cole who had now come to stand beside mum, looking at the book she was reading.
When he caught my look, he raised his eyebrows in question but the little quirk on his lips showed me he knew exactly how I felt about him being there.
"Even ghosts get bored, little mouse." He said in a way of explanation.
I looked away, eating another forkful of lasagna but not really tasting it.
I didn't know how I would deal with his presence around us, whenever he chose to show up from wherever he vanished too.
The red haired woman too. Why had she been she knocking on the door? She couldn't have known about my ability, could she? I still hadn't stopped thinking about that, as hard as I tried to distract myself.
My questions were quickly piling up with no answers in sight.
It seemed since I had moved to this new town, things seemed to be getting stranger and stranger around me.
And I couldn't help but feel my ghost seeing ability was becoming more like a curse than something extraordinary.
It was only a matter of time till something went wrong. I could feel it.
-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×
A/N: I just can't put into words how much your awesome support and comments mean to me :D
I read each and every one of them.
So thank you to all my amazing readers for all the love they give this book.
And as always, thank you for your immese patience. I am forever grateful.
I hope you've enjoyed the chapter. Drop by a comment to tell me what you thought.
Please don't hesitate to point out any mistakes you may find as I'm editing this quite late into the night.
Quick question.
Who do you think the woman with red hair could be?