Forgotten

II - Poltergeist

I knock on the door to my flat. There's nowhere else I can go. Sam opens the door and looks around.

"Pablo, you playing knock-a-door-run?" she laughs. I bite my lip. She can't see me. If I can't touch her, then surely I can walk through her? Taking a deep breath, I step right through her. Just like that. It's easy, but freaky. She shivers. "I'm cold, Pablo, knock again if you want in." She closes the door behind us and locks it. I'm in.

"Can you hear me, Sam?" I ask. She doesn't respond. "Sam? Sam, can you hear me?" I ask, a little bit louder this time. She still doesn't show any sign of reaction as she puts her key in her pocket and starts towards the kitchen. "Sam!" I yell. "Sam! Why can't you hear me?" I grab the vase of flowers and throw it at her out of frustration. She screams.

"Who chucked that?" she demands. "Lola, s'that you?"

"Me and Orla are in here!" she calls back.

"Micah, it's you, I bet!"

"Wasn't me," he calls from our room. "Was it Pablo?"

"Pablo left, pay attention, idiot," Sam snaps, walking into the kitchen. I follow her.

"Sam," I repeat. "Sam, Sam, Sam! Why can't you hear me?" I grab an apple from the fruit bowl and throw it at her.

She screams again. "Whoever's lobbing apples at me, 's not funny!"

"It's me!" I exclaim. I give up and run through to the living room, throwing open the door so hard that it slams against the wall. Orla jumps, violently and Lola spills her crisps. They both laugh. "Can you two hear me?" I ask. "Can you see me?" They don't respond. They just continue watching their television programme. "Why can't you see me?" I snatch Lola's crisps and throw them to the floor. She jumps again.

"What did you do that for?" Orla laughs, pushing her cornrow braids over her shoulder.

"That wasn't me!" she whispers.

"Really funny," she sighs.

"It really wasn't me!"

"It was me!" I shout. "I'm right here!" I kick over the rocking chair and storm out of the room to my room. Micah is playing a video game on some handheld console.

"Micah!"

"Pablo?" Micah exclaims.

I stare at him. "You can see me? Can you hear me as well?"

"Yeah?" he laughs. "Why wouldn't I be able to?" He glances at me, then glances back at his games console. He does a double take and looks at me again. His jaw drops. "Oh... my... gosh..." He takes his glasses off, cleans them, and puts them back on again. He stares. "It's not hallowe'en for another... four months?"

I gulp. "Don't talk too loud. None of the others can hear me."

"You're sick. This isn't funny. You know I watch zombie films."

"I'm not a zombie!" I snap. "I'm a ghost. Who do you think's been throwing stuff?"

"You're not a ghost," he smirks. "I'm not that gullible."

Sam walks in, standing half inside of me. I don't move. Micah's jaw drops again. Sam shivers. "Your room's like a fridge!" she laughs. "It's well cold!" She pauses. "Y'alright?"

"Yeah... I-- Yeah... I just... Sam, can you go? I'm not feeling very well..." Micah looks ready to pass out. Sam laughs at him and leaves the room. Micah stares at me. "You're a ghost. A real one. And I'm the only one who can see you. Why?"

"I..." I blink. "I don't know."

"Was it you throwing things at Sam?" he asks.

"Yeah," I nod.