Marvelous Things || oneshots

{pietro} spectral

Entry for -frankcastle's writing contest
Words:848
(Unnamed OC/Reader)

Spectral

Death.

A sometimes seemingly unmentionable word.
A taboo subject of sorts.

Many don't like to be faced with the harsh reality of their fate.
They'd rather spend their days in the safety of their home, carrying on their "normal lives."
You know, the ones who act awkward at their grandparent's funeral and rather be home at their own devices.

One young woman spends days upon days inside, scared what waited for her outside the protective walls of her bedroom.

But unlike the others, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't escape the grave.

Now not exactly the grave for herself, but those supposedly already there.

In other words, she could see the deceased.

She was 5 when she experienced her first "Paranormal Encounter."

Except, she didn't exactly realize it.

Her family knew of her "Imaginary friend," Rosie.

But not the full content.

Rosie would tell her stories in the basement of the girl's home, about her adventures on a ship named "The Diana Marie."
Where she spent her days sailing with her father, the captain, travelling across Europe, until the day he was killed.

She was sent to live with her aunt in America, where ultimately Rosie would die of polio at age 12.

The girl thought the stories were just, well stories from her Imaginary friend.

It wasn't until she was about 15 when she realized the power, or curse perhaps, she inhabited.

She discovered some of those who she'd wave to on the street and even those who she befriended weren't exactly human.

They were souls of those who were trapped.

Trapped in a world where only one could see them.

----------------------------

"Ma'am!"

She continued her gaze at the ground and fixed the position of the messenger bag on her shoulder.

"Help me you coward!"

Her pace fastened as the cries directed towards her continued, only more rapidly than before.

"I want my mommy."

It was an everyday thing.

Whenever she went outside her apartment, she was tackled with grabs and yells.

Harassment of the dead, she called it.
Those who would do anything to get the only human that could see them, to be the answer to their pleas.

Only she couldn't.

They don't listen when she tries to explain she has no idea how to help them to the other side or how she couldn't tell them why they were there.

That's why the confinement of her apartment always seemed so welcoming.
-----------------------

Most nights were Ramen noodle nights.

Where she'd make a bowl of Ramen noodles, of course, avalanche herself in blankets, and think (crying usually was placed somewhere in there).

Extreme thinking became a bad habit over the years, and she liked to think even her brain cells were crying and begging for help.

Tonight though, she decided to do something out of the ordinary, for her anyway.

She decided to dust off her old bookshelf and read.

Currently in her grasp was a leatherbound copy of Frankenstein.

It was a great book, each word pulled her deeper in to the story.

Well, it was at the beginning.

About 100 pages in, the sound of unfamiliar footsteps brought her out of her trance.

Her first thought was another one of... them.

But since moving to the one-room apartment in Brooklyn, not a single soul walked into her safekeeping.

A minute passed, and then the sound of the refrigerator opening.

She slowly stood up, book still in hand, and walked into the kitchen.

"AH!"

Mary Shelley's classic flew out of her hand and bounced off the man's head.

Yes, a man.

Well, she hoped he was.
The blue aura surrounding him gave off a creepy, supernatural vibe.

"Oi! What was that?"

He rubbed his head that was covered in platinum hair.

She grabbed a pan and protectively held it out.
Then paused, realization coming over her.

She recognized this man.

A few months back, him and all his hero friends were all the rage in the media.

He apparently could run fast and had a twin sister who had magic or something.

They were villains turned good when they teamed up with the Avengers to destroy a robot and ultimately destroyed Sokovia.

That was until he...

"You're dead! H-how'd you get in here? Any of your ghost buddies joining you? When will you guys get that I'm NOT Jennifer Love Hewitt and I can't do no ghost whispering crap. Well, actually-- wait it doesn't matter. Why are you here speedy, dead guy?"

With the pan still outwards, he gave her a look that said she looked absolutely insane.

He put his arms up in mock surrender.

"Look lady, I have no clue who you are but all this spirit crap is pretty stressful. All I wanted was a drink."

"You mean, you don't want to harass me because I'm the only one that can see you?"

"Nope. Well, that isn't so bad on your part. I mean, look at me."

A smirk formed on his face as she gave him an incredulous look and lowered the pan.

"You didn't see that coming?"