Ghost Boy (S.M)

one

[Ghost Boy, Part One]

"Love, it's not an emotion.
Love is a Promise."
~ The Doctor

I never thought the world could be so complicated. Most people on this planet think life is just growing up, going to school, falling in love, then growing old. But life isn't that simple. It's not simple or normal. If you look closer at the world and you look hard enough, you can discover things that can change the way you see life completely.

I wish someone would have told me that before I discovered it on a whim. Maybe then I wouldn't have been so scared and I would have excepted the impossible sooner.

This is the story of how I discovered that the world isn't how it seems and your emotions are more important than you think.

~

The sky is grayer here. The clouds filled with rain, easily block the sun. When researching this place, I had read it's darker here but I don't think I realized just how much darker. I was too busy thinking about how far away it is to focus on the weather.

As we drive through the town I will now be calling home, I understand how different everything is here. It's not just the sky, it's the streets, the buildings, the cars, the trees, even the people walking down the sidewalk.

In Miami, where I'm from, it's so much more colorful. There are palm trees standing high in the sky, tall buildings with amazing modern architecture, streets filled with expensive cars, and people who look like they could be celebrities. Here everything feels old and eerie.

I never thought that living there wouldn't be my life. It was just normal. When my mom sat my brother and I down for a talk, I never thought she was going to tell us we were moving across the country.

I think part of it was because of our dad. She couldn't take being in the city they fell in love in. A part of me doesn't blame her for wanting a new start but the other part does. I feel selfish for even thinking that. Maybe, I have a right to feel selfish. In my defense, she did move us to Oregon, away from everything I've ever known.

Nothing in my head makes sense anymore. My life has been flipped upside down.

But maybe this could be a new start for me too. What happened with my dad was the worst thing that has ever happened to my family. I guess we all get a new start.

"Mom, how far away are we?" I hear my brother Sam, ask from the back seat.

I took out one of my earbuds, making sure I could hear the answer to his question. I saw Sam in the corner of my eye, laying down with a pillow under his head and his phone in his hands.

"We should be there in," she looks over at the GPS in the console of the car. "In about 5 minutes. Looks like we're getting close." She smiles, looking over at me. I've been trying to not make her feel guilty about the move, so I return the smile before looking back up the gray clouds.

Apart of me doesn't want to see the house. I've seen pictures but I think seeing the house right in front of me would make it feel real. It would make me realize that my life is changed forever.

I'll have to start school in a month. I've never gone to a new school where I know absolutely no one. I think that scares me the most about the entire thing, not knowing a single person. I'm going to be a Junior and everyone will know everyone, but then there will be me. In a small town like this, I will stick out like a sore thumb. Thinking about it makes me feel sick.

Who knows though, like I said this could be a new start for the better.

~

My mom makes a right turn, turning us into a neighborhood. Sam and I both noticed this and sit up, trying to get a glance at our new neighbors. Some of the houses are older and some are newer, but almost all of them are plain red brick houses. I notice my heart start to beat faster. I never thought I'd get so nervous about seeing a house.

We turned down a few more streets before the GPS tells us we have reached our destination. "Wait, this is our new house?" Sam asks, looking out the car window.

"Yep," my mom nods and takes out the keys. This is it. Our new life has begun, there's no going back. "You like it?"

"It looks so much bigger in real life." He smiles. My mom and Sam don't hesitate to get out. I watch as they both run-up to the large oak door. For some reason, I can't bring myself to leave the car. I sit frozen in my seat, staring at our new home. Sammy was right, it does look a lot bigger. But also creepier.

Nothing is wrong with it. It looks nice. From what I can see, there's a big front yard and a cute porch that swings to the side, leading to the back yard. But it is one of the older houses in the neighborhood. That's probably why we can afford to live here.

The house is even at the end of the neighborhood. Across the street is another house, which is nicer than ours. But after that the street just stops at a dead end, it becomes a forest. I guess it's nice that it's more private. But also adds to the creepy effect.

"Gracie! Are you coming?" I hear my mom yells from the porch. This snaps me out of my trance, bringing me back to reality. There is something about this place that seemed strange. Again, maybe I'm just being dramatic. Hopefully.

I open the car door, getting out. I immediately feel like something is watching me. I've felt this feeling before but never like this. This seems like something extreme. I feel the hair on the back of my neck start to stand. I look around at the other house for a clue but there is no one in sight. By the second, the feeling grows stronger, making my heart beat faster. It's like I am paralyzed with fear and wonder at the same time. I want to know if it's my imagination or I have finally gone insane.

I take a few steps towards the house before the door behind me slams shut. I instantly turn around and look at it. I didn't touch it.

"Gracie?" My mom yells again.

I don't take my eyes off the shut door as I say, "It's, It's okay mom. Go without me, I have to get my phone."

The thing that puzzles me the most is that there's no wind. The trees aren't rustling and no wind was blowing my brown hair. Maybe, it was just the spring in the door. We have had the car for a few years. Maybe, it's that. Trying to not freak myself out, I slowly open the door and grab my phone, that's still sitting on the seat.

It's just a new house, I remind myself. Everyone gets a little spooked when moving into a new house. It's probably the stress of moving getting inside my head.

As I walk to the door, I examine my new home. The house is brick but the roof is an interesting black color. It has small towers too, which I have to admit looks cool. Perhaps, it will be fun to explore this place.

In the corner of my eye, I see something move in one of the attic windows. On instinct, my eyes landed on it and I stop in my tracks. Behind a thin white curtain, stands a man. It's not clear enough to see any details, but it looks like a person. My heart starts beating faster again, but this time, I can hear it. I can physically feel their eyes staring at me, giving me goosebumps.

I'm frozen in fright. It could be Sammy or my Mom but it doesn't feel like that. It feels cold and scary. It's like the two of us were the only things in the universe.

All of sudden, I hear a crash behind me. I look over my shoulder to see the neighbors metal trash can has fallen over. I wanted it to just be the wind. Everything is always just the wind. But reason reminds me, there isn't any wind.

I look back at the window, where the figure was standing but nothing is there. The cold feeling is gone and it's as if everything in the world resumed again. I take a deep breath and run into the house. Running into the same house where I saw the person, probably isn't the best idea but the need to not be alone is too strong.