The Dead Of Night

Standing Alone

It was Friday and I woke up with my customary Friday-Morning-Ambition. Janson wasn't there to make sure I got up with my alarm, and that made me grind my teeth. I knew I shouldn't feel abandoned, but just because I shouldn't feel that way doesn't mean I didn't.

Whatever, I don't need him. I thought stubbornly as I ran through my morning routine. I picked out a T-shirt and some jeans, went for my shower and came back to the room. Softly I called out, "Zack! Janson!" But neither ghost responded. I let out a sigh as I grabbed my book bag from my desk ready to go grab breakfast and head to school when I noticed the last thing Janson had Googled.

He had open the picture from the newspaper article, the one where Andrew had woken up. I slumped against the desk with a little grin as I stared at it. Andrew looked sleepy as he opened his pretty blue eyes, and I looked extremely shocked as I held his hand to my cheek. There was something compelling about the photo. I felt a little better about Janson leaving me alone more often seeing this photo; he loved his son but he hadn't forgotten about me.

With a smile I headed out of the room and practically danced down the stairs. My mom looked up at me coming down the stairs from her place at the kitchen table. She smiled and said, "You look very chipper this morning."

I shrugged, "Well, I guess I'm just feeling okay." Independent. I thought, but I didn't need to explain that whole story to my mom right now.

"I can't believe your father offered to make dinner." She said, shuffling through her papers. "He's really turning a new leaf. You know I think after the divorce I could stay friends with Alex now."

My jaw dropped slightly as I opened the fridge. My mother's resentment of my father had grown to an almost hatred: she thought he was weak, and cruel, so this was entirely unexpected. I suppose she had loved him at one point so this shouldn't have been too unexpected. "Yeah, I wonder what he's really got planned." I added. Then, "What are you working on?"

As I poured myself a glass of milk, I refilled my mother's coffee cup. "Oh these?" She pointed to the papers on the table, "I'm just trying to determine when the divorce will be considered legal and when an appropriate time for Phil and I to get married."

"Oh," I said nodding, taking small sips of my milk. My father's sudden change of heart was suspicious to me but I shrugged it off as I got ready for school. I had other things to think about, so my father's shenanigans could be pondered later.

I got to school really early and not really wanting to go inside yet I went down to the ravine. I leaned against a tree looking at the water through the hole in the ice. It was warm enough that it wouldn't freeze over again. I almost couldn't grasp the importance of what had happened here. Zack had died. I nearly had a heart attack and died myself when someone touched my shoulder from behind.

I shrieked and spun to see Sophie standing behind me. Me shriek melted into laughter as I saw it was only her. "You scared me half to death!" I cried.

She smiled faintly, "Haha. Not the place for the joke."

For the first time I wondered what it would've been like for Sophie to come down here to find me. She must have been scared enough when her pen started moving, and Janson had begun tugging on her sleeve, and yet she still followed him down here. And then she saw me there naked in the snow and snapped right into action. I'd never thought about this before, and realizing it I suddenly had a greater respect for Sophie. "I'm sorry," I said honestly. "Bad joke, bad timing."

She nodded, but said "It's alright." Looking around she shivered, grabbed me by the shoulder and started to lead me back towards the fence. "I overheard Mrs. Whetherby saying there'd be a pop quiz on the Inquisition. I thought we could go study together."

The rest of the day passed like it would for any normal person. Janson was off, probably with Andrew, and Zack still hadn't turned up - for a day I was a normal person, for a day I had no ghosts to talk to. I studied with Sophie before class, and when Monday's latin test was returned to us I compared notes with my class mates, I even zoned out in the middle of ethics class. I didn't expect Mr. Attler to pull me to the side again at the end of ethics.

"Ms. Carohls, do you have any plans for tonight?" He asked.

"Please don't give me a detention!" I said automatically, "I wasn't zoning out, I promise! I was comparing themes of -"

He cut me off with a chuckle, "That's not what I was going to say at all. I was going to ask you Ms. Carohls if you'd like to come to our house for dinner tonight. I know it's rather unorthodox but -"

"But it's your first night with Andrew." I protested. "Are you sure you want me to interupt?"

He smiled at me. "I told you before Ms. Carohls, you saved his life. I'm in your debt. Besides," he gave me a knowing look, "the boy won't stop talking about you. The Golden girl who woke him up." I couldn't help but smile a little at this, and Mr. Attler smiled back. "So does that smile mean we can set out an extra plate tonight?"

"Only if you stop calling me Ms. Carohls." I grinned. If I had dinner with them I could get to know Janson's son, and he'd probably be there too and I could help Janson find out what he needed to know too!

"I'll see you tonight then Ms. Ca - Mallorie." He corrected himself.

I nodded as I headed outside for my lunch. I was being drawn to the ravine again but on my way I heard a terrified scream. I immediately recognized it as Sophie's voice, and I couldn't help but run along the fence in the direction of the screaming. I caught a glimpse of her jacket by the water, and without taking a moment to wonder what she was doing down at the ravine when she'd been so uncomfortable there earlier I scaled the fence and raced down the slope.

"Sophie!" I shouted, so I wouldn't frighten her too much as I came barreling towards her. "Sophie!"

The screaming stopped for a moment and then she shouted in a shaky unsteady voice, "Over here! I'm over here!"

I trampled a few barren bushes as I pushed forward and saw Sophie crouching and breathing heavily by the river with Zack...and his body. I nearly threw up myself when I saw him. He was bloated and a blueish purple. He was so distorted you almost couldn't recognize him. His dark hair was shocking against the melting snow he lay in. His body apparently had been pushed down by the current but he didn't make it around the bend in the ravine.

"Oh my...oh god..." Sophie was muttering, one arm wrapped around her stomach and the other hand was held against her mouth as she held back heaves. "He's dead." She muttered and hurled onto the thinning ice.

"Zack..." I breathed looking away from the corpse to the ghost. "I'm so sorry." I said; meaning at first for what I said the other day, and for the fact he'd died in the first place. He looked harsh until both Sophie and I began to tear up.

He reached a hand out to me and tried to pat my shoulder but his hand passed through it. I shivered and then looked up at his confused face. "It gets easier." I explained to him.

Sophie broke from her sobs to look at me. "Did you- did you know?" Unsure how else I can respond to her I just nodded. "Did he come back? Is he a ghost?"

I licked my lips and looked at Zack, he nodded and I whispered. "Yeah...he's, uhm, he's here." I glanced at the body to look away from Sophie's pained brown eyes. Bad idea, I thought as I gagged. Oh man, I was used to seeing ghosts but bodies were a hell of a lot different. As the breeze picked up I got a whiff of the body and like Sophie I released the contents of her stomach.

Aren't I going to be a lovely dinner guest tonight? I thought randomly.

"The police." Zack suggested. "You have to tell them you found my body."

I nodded knowing he was right. "Soph...I have to, we have to call the police." She nodded but didn't move. I didn't want to do it but she was already brave enough this past week, I couldn't ask more of her.

"Wait," she said just as I pulled out my phone. "He's here right? Can you ask him something?" I nodded, curios. "Did it hurt?"

I flinched, and waited for Zack's response. He shook his head, "I didn't even remember it."

I stumbled over to Sophie and wrapped my arms around her as I repeated his message. "Now I have to call."

She grabbed my phone with shaky hands. "I found him, I'll do it."