Mystery book

Chapter 1

  I open my eyes, expecting the burn of pain to continue; but it doesn't. It slowly disappears and left my body numb. I crack my right eye open only to see my feet. Only, they're not attached to me.
  I jump back in horror, following my legs up and up some more to see my pale, unconscious body on the white marble floor.
  Bending down slowly, I check my hands and wrists; well the physical ones. In my right hand, I still clutched the seven inch kitchen knife, now stained with ruby red blood. My left wrist lay on my chest, covering my shirt in blood.
   I stare down at my body as I admire my own wasted beauty. My hair, which I had dyed the ends red just a month ago, flowed elegantly even while attached to a fresh corpse.
My eyes have dulled and don't show any expression. Not fear, or relaxation; just dead.
  On my collar bone, I find my tattoo. I'd gotten it when I was fourteen, the first time I nearly did it. It's a semicolon, basically saying "I could have and would have ended my life. But I chose not to." A semicolon, like when you're writing a story. Same thing.
  My sports watch is still on my wrist below the deep cut. It's dark blue and a pretty small watch. I got it for school in year eight and never stopped using it. Even now, at the age of seventeen.
  The faint call of my little brother echoes from down the halls. "Maddie! Father's calling you down again! He seems angry." He says, pushing the kitchen door open. His eyes grow wide and start to condense. Lower lip trembling, he stumbles out and runs away calling for mom.
  I look down at my ghost hands and notice that I'm mostly transparent with a light tint of blue, apart from where I'd cut myself. The red slit clashed against my new blue skin like a tattoo.
  I try to clap, only to have both hands pass through eachother. I walk over to the wooden kitchen counter and sit, landing with a soft plop. Relieved I can sit on things, I notice that gravity workes slower when you're a ghost.
  I stand up and explore my new abilities by jumping off the counter onto the floor. For a while, I float in the air like an astronaut. Then I land softly back on the floor. I walk back to my body and I notice that I don't walk like I'm in space.
  At that moment, Jayden barges through the double door, stumbling on his hurried words while dragging our mother and crying at the same time.
  "Jayden, honey," my mother says, spinning my brother around to face her, "Deep breaths." She proceeds to take deep breaths with that hand motion that goes up and down. Jayden follows anyway and regains his composure.
  "Ma-maddie," he hiccups, "Dead!" And he starts sobbing again. My mother looks over his shoulder, pale, and pulls him close. She lifts him up and leaves without another word. I listen to her heels' clicking gradually get faster and faster, softer and softer into the distance.
  I turn around on the spot clueless on what to do next. I spot a spoon on the counter and I reach my hand out to grab it. But my hand passes straight through it.
Maybe I have to make it levitate," I mutter to myself. That gives me two ideas, speech and levitation! I step back from the spoon for my first experiment and hold my hand out again. I ball up my first and lift my hand. The spoon starts to float and I move it left and right. It's like flying a hand drone. I place the spoon down and walk to the door. I put my hand to the door and press on it. Disappointed that I still have to push doors, I leave the kitchen.
  "No, Nigel, she's really dead! I don't know what to do!" My mother weeps, still carrying Jayden and pulling my father. This has got to be good. I walk through the door with them, patting Jayden's head as I walk through Father's mortal body.
  'Is Maddie dead?! I want my sister back!'
  Something echoed in my head. It's not comming from any particular direction, it's just everywhere.
  'I want Maddie!' it wails again. Now that I pay attention to it, it sounds like my brother. I look back up at Jayden, who is standing in the kitchen corner, still weeping.
  Mother is calling someone. "Yes, Maddie, my daughter. She's dead."
"A huge slit in her wrist!" My father adds, leaning over her shoulder. My mother nods slightly, covering her nose and mouth with her hand. She breaks down again and I hear the man on the other side of the line comfort her. He says "Ma'am, help is on the way."
  'Maddie! Maddie!' The screams of my brother echo in my empty head. It's loud and suffocated. I turn my head to my brother again and walk towards him.
  "Jayden, Jayden?" I say, hoping he can hear me. He looks around for a bit but pays not much attention to me. An idea hits he and I run along the long halls to reach my room.
  I run back with a pen and paper. I put the paper in front of an astounded Jayden.
  "I'm sorry, I love you all" I scribble in messy and writing. Jayden's eyes grow wide and begin to water. His eyes flicker, like he doesn't know what to believe. But eventually, he whispers "I love you too Maddie." And I smile, I can leave now.
  With one last glance, I bid goodbye to my family. Dear mother who tried to help in any way she could, Father who worked his butt off, and Jayden. My seven year old brother, pure to the core.
I push the oak doors open and begin to walk slowly around the house. I pass by Mother's favourite mirror and have a glance at it. I was expecting to see my translucent blue figure, but it looked like I wasn't there at all. Well, I'm dead so it's only logical that I'd be invisible.
  I listen for the wailing one last time; nothing. So a carry on. I feel something brush against my invisible feet. "Miao!" It calls.
  "Salem?!" I look down expecting the small black stray cat to be with her bowl. But she's a ghost too. Only, she's grey. I bend down to try to pick her up and to my delight, her fur still feels soft. She climbs up my arm and balances on my shoulder; she's not leaving anytime soon.