Luna's Ghost

2

Now

"Come on, Grace," Mom called from downstairs. "We're leaving now."

"Coming," I called back as I grabbed my duffel bag off the floor and slipped the strap over my shoulder. I took one last glance around the bare room that had been filled with all of my stuff and belongings two days ago, though now it looked like no one had ever lived here.

I felt a variety of emotions as I gazed around the room. There was a part of me that would miss this place. I had grown up in this house and had a lot of good memories. On the other hand, there were also a lot of bad memories, such as finding out Mom and Dad were getting a divorce and having to hear them fight daily as I hid in my room.

All in all, I was glad to be moving with my mom to go live with my grandma. I felt like I could leave this place behind and try to start a new chapter.

I turned back around to walk out of the room only to be met by two pale, transparent faces. I yelped and stumbled backwards, taken off guard.

"Are you okay?" Mom called up, her voice laced with worry. Ever since I'd gotten all of the inexplicable soreness and illnesses, she'd been keeping an extra eye on me. Whenever I coughed or sneezed she'd always be right there with a thermometer, ready to check my temperature or wheel me off to the doctor.

"I'm fine," I called back and shot Helen and Johnny a glare. "I hate it when you two do that. Do you seriously have to scare me all the time?"

Johnny smirked. "Yeah. It's entertaining."

I rolled my eyes. "Why don't you torture someone else for a while?"

"'Cause no one else can see us, and it's funny to see you mad."

I rolled my eyes at him again and stepped around him and Helen. "If you two want to come with me, come with me now or we'll be leaving you all forever."

I felt the familiar chills wash over my body from the coldness both of them emitted. Every time I was anywhere near a ghost the atmosphere would grow deathly cold to the point I could see the air fog with every breath I exhaled.

I heard them start to bicker back and forth as they followed me down the stairs. Honestly, they seemed like an old married couple. They would always gripe at each other over something, half the time I just tuned them out. They were my friends and all, but I could only take so much of them arguing. It'd bring me back to where my parents would fight all the time and I would find myself getting anxious.

And yes, Helen and Johnny were my friends, and only friends. The night after I first saw Johnny and passed out, he began talking to me. At first, I was absolutely petrified, just as any sane person would be to have a transparent guy who looked like he could have played one of the characters from The Outsiders and no one else could see him but you. I kept asking anyone and everyone if they could see him, but they would shake their heads and say no every time. Mom was scared I had some kind of fever and was having hallucinations. She'd taken me to the hospital for the thirteenth time that year only to have the doctor send me back home, saying they couldn't find anything.

I was scared of Johnny for a long time. He would speak to me, reassure me that he wasn't going to hurt me, that he was trying to help me. Anytime he would approach me, I would feel that horrible stabbing pain in my side.