Ghostly [On Temp. Hold]

Chapt. 1 Paradise

My first story, Happy Readings!

Chapter 1

     A streak of sunlight penetrated the thick clouds above me, hitting me square in the face. I squint and lay down to avoid it. I breathe in for a second. The moist air on my neck makes my hairs go on end. I looked up and not a patch of sky was in sight. Thunder was rumbling in the distance. I sighed, Mother Nature was being a dick again. I yawned then turned back to the pile of paper on my lap.

    "Why are you still on that?" Noelle yelled at me from across the cliff.

    "You know how important this is," I replied, my weariness obviously showing, "This may as well decide our entire lives." I changed positions again, the tall grass became uncomfortable. 

     "Oh loosen up, you prude." She makes a face at me and retreats back to her laptop. 

      I chuckled. She knew as well as I did what would ensue the next few months.  I stared around at my surroundings desperate to get the paper out of my mind for awhile.

     Behind me were the woods outside of town. We...well, what used to be we, liked to hang out there. Nothing special,  just a small field next to an abandoned house. In front of me was half-cliff which extended over the ocean. One road led to it and one road led out of it, around us was the surrounding coast of the Paradise. A cool breeze crossed my face bringing the comforting smell of the ocean combined with the musky scent of the woods.

       It was the place no one else could find us. It offered us privacy, but most importantly, it was somewhere we could escape from the boredom of our town, Paradise, Washington. Where it's wet and dark 24/7 just the way you like it. Nothing ever happens and the crime rate is as high as the excitement level. 

       I spotted a group of kids smoking, a couple was making out under one of the trees, and someone even got a football game going.

       Noelle let out a sigh.

       "What is it?" 

       "Liam, come over there, look at this article..." she said. 

       I'm Liam. Liam Teller. I recently graduated from Paradise High. I have black hair that falls right above my eyes and my skin is pale due to the lack of sun here. 

     And I see ghosts.

     Ha ha, yeah, surprise. 

     I saw my first ghost at 7.

    Realized she was actually a ghost at 11.

   Freaked out from 11-13.

   Then accepted my gift at 14 and befriended the ghost. Her name was Sheila. Her whole family died from a derailed train when she was eight.

She seems to mature as I do and would sometimes visit me if either of us felt lonely or bored we would talk to each other. Her being a ghost, of course, was never bored. She could go where ever she wanted. Loniless, though, was easy to understand. I, being human on the other hand, don't really have much of a problem with loneliness. It's just that Paradise is the most boring town on Earth. She shares her stories with me, I offer her company.

Since then I've have been trying to hone my skills. My visual and auditory sensibility to ghosts increases the more I communicate with them. I can even feel the chill of a ghost if I just get close enough. I can't bring them back to life or anything but I try my best to cross them over, usually, if a ghost decides to stay it's because he/she has unfinished business in the living world. That's where I come in, I help find out what it is that needs completing then help the ghost complete it.