Arshi SS: The Ghostly Girl

Chapter 7

He rushed into his room and locked the door tight. Sitting on the bed, Arnav's hands reached the water jug and gulped the liquid down.

His meeting with the floating girl, whose name he had found to be Khushi, was still fresh in his mind. With shivering hands, he pulled his shirt pocket where she had pushed something in.

He frowned seeing a folded newspaper.

He unfolded the paper and read the headlines.

20 year old Harvard student commits suicide

Khushi Kumari Gupta (20), final year BBA student of Harvard, found dead in her hostel room. Doctors confirmed that the death was due to overdose of sleeping pills. The suicide note Gupta had left on bed states that she can no longer "withstand the work load and pressure at university".

He frowned and saw that there was a note along with it.

It was not a suicide.

And Arnav felt every limb of his body numb.

"Are you serious?" Anand whispered through phone.

"Yes" Arnav said with cracking voice, "She came and gave me a note"

"So it was not a suicide. And she want you to help her?" Anand asked scared.

Arnav hummed looking at the headlines and at the beautiful girl.

"But Arnav...." Anand said scared, "How can we see ghosts? How can ghosts write messages?"

"I don't know but she came! She gave me the paper! She WAS there and...." Arnav suddenly trailed off when his eyes fell on the mirror before him.

He saw his reflection but the only not-scary fact was that the mirror had reflection of another person too....behind him.

He gasped and stood frozen. The phone fell from his hand and he could hear Anand's worried words through the device.

She chuckled and whispered, "Reminding me of old days Arnav....you surely hasn't gotten rid of your girly gasp!"

He turned and started breathing heavily.

She walked forward and he started walking backward till his back hit the mirror.

She stood before him and lifted her hand. He gulped. No voice came out of his throat and he felt like he would pass out for a second.

Suddenly he felt something feathery and looked at her hand caressing his cheek.

"That day when you came to the lake..." she whispered, "I thought you came for me. But then.....I thought you're joking when you asked who I was. But seems like you weren't joking"

He frowned and looked at her.

"Don't you remember me Arnav?" she whispered. If he is not wrong, he definitely saw a tear finding its way out of her eyes but soon disappearing into her cheek. He widened his eyes. Why didn't the tear drop down? It just....vanished into her pale skin.

"Khushi....your Khushi....." she whispered and held his shoulders.

He gulped and nodded no.

The warm chocolate eyes then turned cold and angry.

"So you..." she began to speak when a knock interrupted them.

"Chotte...who are you speaking to?"

"Go...open the door. It's your sister, my old friend Anjali" Khushi said.

Arnav looked at her and then at the closed door.

Khushi backed away and slowly walked backwards.

Arnav gasped loudly watching her slowly disappearing into the thin air.

"Chotte! What are you doing in there?" Anjali asked from the other side.

Arnav slowly walked to the door and with shivering hands unlocked the door opening it wide.

"Who are you talking to?" Anjali asked frowning, "Heard you gasping loud! What happened?"

Arnav looked at her with his body covered with sweat and irregular breathing.

"Chotte what happened?" Anjali asked cupping his cheek.

It's your sister, my old friend Anjali.

"Di..." he whispered in cracking voice.

Anjali hummed and wiped away his sweat.

"Do you know any Khushi?" he asked.

Anjali stopped wiping his sweat.