Phantom of the Apartment

Specters and Skeptics

"You actually expect me to believe in ghosts, Jason? Really? I'm not a child!" Thomas shouted, pacing back and forth in front of the television. The three had moved to the living room, where Jason was struggling to explain his living arrangements to his friend.

"Look, I know how unbelievable this all sounds. I wasn't even planning tell you! I was pretty sure you'd think I was crazy if I mentioned it. But the secrets out now, so yeah! I'd like you to believe what's standing right in front of you!"

"What's 'right in front of me' is impossible!"

"Do you trust me at all, Thomas?"

Thomas threw his hands up in frustration. "Jason, I trust you. But this? Ghosts? That crosses the line."

"What line? There should be no line. If you trusted me then you'd believe me, no matter how crazy, if I was this serious."

"This isn't funny anymore, Jace. Stop. The joke is dead."

"Funny? Is that what you think this is then? Some kind of practical joke to secure our friendship? Because if it were, I can assure you that I would have given up by now."

"I'm not sure what I believe this is! But whatever this is, it's not a ghost. Ghosts are fairy tales and superstition, not roommates!"

That was when Rebecca jumped to her feet. "That's enough! Both of you!" She looked between the two of them before turning to Thomas. "Alright, Thomas. What am I, then, if not a ghost?"

"I don't know! A friend of Jason?"

She raised an eyebrow. "A friend? Maybe. But what else? What prevents me from being a ghost?"

"Ghosts aren't real," Thomas said in a factual tone, as though this statement ended any possible argument. "I don't know who you are, but you are a living, breathing human being!" His voice rose with conviction as he emphasized the last four words so much that he practically spit them out.

Rebecca stared at him, letting his words hang in the room. Jason held his breath. Oh no. She's probably mad. If she was, she hid it well for that moment as she stared Thomas in the face. Then, she laughed. This laugh, however, was unlike any Jason had heard from her before. It was dark and humorless, sounding more like the chuckle of a villain than the laughter of a friend. And the look on her face matched it perfectly, her cruel smile not reaching her angry eyes.

"Oh, Thomas. What a lovely way of thinking. 'Ghosts aren't real.' Very cute." The chuckle returned, and Thomas finally flinched. "Well, if I'm not a ghost, why can I do things like this?"

She vanished into thin air, and the lights in the apartment flickered as the blackout curtains flew shut. Appliances in the kitchen began to turn on and off seemingly of their own accord. Finally, after a few chaotic moments, everything turned off and the apartment was plunged into darkness. The room was terribly silent for what seemed like ages before the television turned on. Thomas scrambled back and fell to the ground. The only thing on the screen was Rebecca.

"What am I then, Thomas?" Her voice cut through the static like a knife. "A prank? A 'living, breathing, human being?' I can assure you I'm not. Well, not anymore." Her voice came through every speaker in the room. The television speakers, the laptops, the phones. Everything. "Believe whatever you'd like. Your opinion in no way effects what I am, but it would still be more convenient for everyone if you were to accept it. But if you don't, so be it. Not believing in physics doesn't stop gravity from keeping you on the ground. Not believing the Copernican Model doesn't force the sun to orbit the earth. And not believing in ghosts doesn't make me return to the grave. So I'll ask you again. What am I, Thomas?"

Thomas went pale as he stared at the screen. "I-I didn't, well-"

"What was that, Thomas? Are you really going to make me ask again? I suggest you answer."

     "A ghost!" He spit the words, unable to get them out as fast as he wanted to.

     A smirk came across her face. "I think I've proven my point," she said. And she laughed. The screen flickered off. The speakers shut down. The curtains came opened and the sunlight shimmered in through the windows. The echo of that last laugh echoed in the apartment. It was not quite the real thing, but not a completely different laugh either. An impression of the original. A ghost.

     Finally, Rebecca reappeared beside Jason, who shot her a glare.

     "I hope you turned the fridge back on, or else you're gonna go buy all the food that spoils."

     She smiled, all malice again leaving her face as she looked at her friend. "No worries. It's already up and running."

     "Good." Jason turned to Thomas, who still looked pale and terrified. "Hey, Tom." He extended a hand. "Here, let me help you up."

     Thomas reluctantly grabbed his hand and rose to his feet, looking at Rebecca as though she was pointing a gun at his head. "A ghost," he whispered again. "She's a ghost."

     Jason laughed, a memory resurfacing in his mind. "You know, I had that exact reaction." He noted his friends terrified expression turned to Rebecca. "I think that was a bit much.

     She blinked innocently at him. "What was?"

     "The thing with the television and all. You scared him! Heck, you scared me, And I already knew you were a ghost."

     "Well, that was kind of the point. But I get what you're saying." She turned to Thomas. "Sorry for scaring you, but I get kinda frustrated when people accuse me of faking it and scaring people seems to be the most effective way to change people's minds on the subject of ghosts." She smiled fondly. "I did something like that to Jason when he moved in too. He got so scared that he tried to summon me the next day."

     Thomas gave a tentative smile. Rebecca's smile turned to a grin, but red head flinched. "Right," she muttered thoughtfully. "Yeah, that's one drawback of scaring someone into believing in the supernatural. One of many, actually. Oh well. Guess I should try to properly introduce myself for once, huh?" She smiled politely at Thomas. "Hello. My name's Rebecca, and I'm Jason's roommate. And, as I believe we have already established pretty well, I'm a ghost." She offered a handshake, which Thomas accepted.

     He regained some of his confidence as their hands clasped. "Hey. I'm Thomas Allen, and I'm one of Jason's old friends." He chucked and mimicked her voice. "And, as I believe we've already established pretty well, I didn't really believe in ghosts before now."

     She grinned and released his hand. "Nice to meet you, Thomas."

     "Delighted."

     Jason clapped his hands together and stepped forward. "Now that that's out of the way, am I allowed to have my friend back, or are you keeping him?"

     "Please, by all means! Give the guy some living company," she said, laughing. "I'll just get back to my marathon, if you don't mind."

     "Oh! What were you watching?" Thomas asked.

     "I was actually watching the Harry Potter movies."

     Jason threw up his hands. "And there goes the afternoon," he exclaimed, grinning.

     "I love Harry Potter movies! Jason, do you think we can..." He trailed off.

     "Yeah, alright. Why not."

     Rebecca removed a disc from her laptop and put it into the television before hopping onto the couch. "Hey, Jason? Would you mind grabbing some popcorn for the three of us?"

     Jason sighed as he stood up. "I cannot believe you. I bet you could just snap your fingers and make some, but no. Let's make Jason do all the work." He walked to the kitchen, muttering something about his obnoxious dead roommate stealing his best friend under his breath as he did.

     "What was that, Jason?" Rebecca asked, raising an eyebrow.

     "Nothing!" He smiled to himself as he tossed a bag of popcorn in the microwave. What a funny turn of events this is. "Nothing at all."