Not Your Typical Ghost Story

Chapter 12- To Act or Not To Act

TW: Arguing kinda, Anxiety, Talks of Remus's Death.

November 9th | Eight Months Since Remus Died | Remus Your Brother Seems To Think That Just Because You're Dead He Can No Longer Participate In The Things You Used To Do With Each Other And I Swear You Better Smack Some Sense Into That Boy.

Roman sat alone at one of the school picnic tables, a textbook in front of him and a pile of trash that used to be his lunch pushed aside. He wasn't sitting at their regular table, a small table hidden behind a mini wall of bushes and trees, this time he sat at a table on the far side of the school, right by the theater. 

Patton had a GSA meeting, to which they had invited Roman to but he had politely declined, using homework as an excuse. Logan had a dentist appointment today, and so was not in school. This left Roman alone at the table, other than the ghosts he supposed. They were testing their ghostly limits again though. The theater was well within Remus's range and they along with Deceit and Anxiety had disappeared inside to go cause mayhem. 

They'd probably be gone for a while, whenever those three got together to use their ghostly powers against the rest of the world it never was any fun for the living. The three of them could be gone for hours if they wanted to be, the only limit to the chaos they caused was one hundred and sixty feet. 

So Roman wasn't expecting any of them to come sit down with him. He wasn't expecting anyone to interrupt his daydreaming, as he stared at the door to the theater and watched a group of giggly freshman struggle to put up a poster advertising Winter Show Auditions. He wasn't expecting to feel the wispy chill of an unreal hand to settle on his shoulder, or for Anxiety to take a seat next to him.

"Hey Princey, whatcha staring at?"

Roman sighed and shook his head out as he looked down at his textbook, "Nothing, just, calculating parabolas."

Anxiety glanced down at the textbook, "Right, except, that's a History chapter about the industrial revolution."

"Oh, yeah, you know. It this new study method Logan taught me where-"

"Roman," Virgil interrupted. Roman looked up at Anxiety, before freezing slightly at the look he was being given. The same look a small child might get from their teacher, or a parent. A look of, 'Don't you lie to me, young man'. And behind that look, in the translucent wispy form of his eyes Roman was sure he could see something there that he had never seen before. And then the 'Thing' was gone, and Anxiety looked away

He sighed slightly, "The schools putting on a play," Roman mumbled.

Anxiety nodded, "Yeah, Eloise is in there screaming at some poor Sophomores. You going to auditions?"

Roman scoffed, "'Course not."

"Why not?" Anxiety asked with a look of confusion, "You've been performing since you were tiny."

"Yeah but that was always with Remus-"

"So? You're not telling me you only performed cause of Remus, right?"

"No, of course not."

"Then what does Remus have to do with it?"

Roman shrugged, "I've never done a show without Remus."

Anxiety raised an eyebrow at him, "And..." 

"I can't do a show without Remus."

"Why not?"

Roman turned to look at him, "You don't get it do you?" he asked him.

"Dont get what?"

"Anxiety, my brother is dead. We used to do everything together. We came out of the womb together. We learned to walk and talk together. We went through cancer together, living a nightmarish hell. And for every single nightmare before, during, and after that, he was with me and I was with him. And up until Eight months ago I somehow seemed to have it in my head that because we came into this world together we'd be leaving it together. And I was wrong. And I said my goodbyes. And he's back but what the hell is he?" Roman asked with anger in his eyes as he stood up and glared at Anxiety harshly.