Collide Invisible Lips (KELLIC)

Chapter 2

"Vic? What are you doing here?" Matty asked, shocked. I had finished exploring the house and had rejoined the other ghosts sitting in the parlor. I had been listening to the others' chatter when Vic descended into the room.

"Thought I'd greet the newcomer," he muttered, taking the seat I'd been shooed away from when I first met the group.

"Jeez, I haven't seen you in, what, eight years now?" Craig commented. Vic didn't acknowledge him.

"Wait, I thought you all lived here together," I put in.

"We do. Vic just prefers to treat us like-" Jenna began to say.

"I keep to myself," Vic interjected. I nodded, not adding to the obviously growing tension. Matty cleared his throat.

"So, Kellin, we wanted to explain the official and unofficial rules of this place. Firstly, you can't leave-" I interrupted Matty immediately.

"Can't leave? Why not?" I demanded. Jaime sighed in annoyance.

"It's not our rule, it's someone else's. God's, maybe." I slowly nodded, not understanding, but then again, there were quite a few things I didn't understand. Matty spoke back up.

"Right, so we're all confined here. This house is actually owned by a family. They travel a lot though, so we have the place to ourselves more often than not. You can't touch them or anything. They won't be able to see or hear you when they're here, unless you mess with stuff to get their attention. I wouldn't do that if I were you," Matty advised, shooting a glare at Craig.

"It was one time! My hand slipped!" Craig insisted defensively.

"Sure, sure. Anyway, we kind of have rooms claimed for a little privacy from each other. You know where we all are, if you ever need me I'm in the master bedroom- don't look at me like that Jenna, I built this stupid house. Did you see any room that you might like?" Matty asked. I thought back to all the rooms I'd peeked in today.

"Uh, there was a little bedroom in the far hallway of the top floor that seemed fine," I said. Matty nodded.

"The family that lives here has a son that went to college. You'll have that room mostly empty except for a few weeks in summer or holidays. So... yeah. We just kind of hang out here. Play games, read, write, listen to music, whatever. It's a bit boring sometimes. Do you have any questions?" I paused for a minute, taking everything in.

"What are our limitations now? Like, I can pick things up but can I still eat? Do we have to use the bathroom or sleep? Do we get sick?" I asked. Matty chuckled.

"You've got a better grasp on this thing than most do. We can still eat, but you don't have to unless you just want to. You won't gain weight or starve or anything. None of us have ever gotten sick, so I'll assume not. And we're incapable of sleeping or using the bathroom."

"Why?"

"No idea. That's just how we woke up one day," Craig said drily.

"I don't know if it'll be the same for Kellin," Vic pitched in. All the ghosts turned to him in surprise.

"Why not?" Jenna questioned.

"He's not like us, not exactly. I can't touch him," Vic stated, running a hand through my arm to prove it. I shivered a bit at the eerie sight.

"Maybe that's just because he's new. I couldn't shoot up until I was dead for a few weeks," Craig put in.

"Yeah, shit changes on us all the time. Jenna and I couldn't go at it for a few weeks either. He probably just needs a few days to adjust," Jaime suggested. Vic shrugged.