Ghosts

Chapter Two: Ghosts? Real or Fake?

Sam, dressed in pink pyjamas and a light blue robe, walked into the bathroom, still traumatised from the events of the day before. She went into the cupboard that was a part of the mirror when she heard a noise coming from behind the closed shower curtain. On high alert, she edged closer to the curtain, pulling them apart. She screamed as a pigeon flew at her and out the window. But then let out a sigh of relief, begging to feel that yesterday didn't actually happen. However, as she turned around, Pete stood there smiling. "Hello!" He greeted in a chipper voice. She let out a blood curdling scream, which caused Pete to let out a scream with her. When Sam bent down to grab the toilet brush to fend off Pete, he took it as an opportunity and ran away, going straight through the closed door. Sam chased after him, toilet brush in hand but smacked straight into the bathroom door, tumbling to the ground. Pete headed to the living room where all the other ghosts were chatting. "Well?" Isacc said as he spotted him.

"Yup. She can still see us."He informed, allowing the others to celebrate. "Also, she's a little cranky before she's had her coffee. Why did I have to go again?"

"Cos you drew the short straw Peter Piper." Cassie reminded from her spot in the window. Since moving to Woodstone, her outfits changed from dark and dreary to bright and colourful. For example, she adorned a light green top and light blue jeggings topped with grey heeled boots and a neat, high pony. "Also, it's funny to see you look all scared like that." She shrugged.

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"Troops! Never before have who possessed the ability to communicate with a living! And not one, but TWO at that! We are in uncharted waters." Isacc announced.

"Those are the worst types of waters. Unless, of course, you find cod." Thor commented.

"This opens up intriguing possibilities to get them to leave. Namely, diplomacy!" Isacc continued.

"Dude!" Trevor exclaimed, pointing to Cassie, who had her headphones on and was scrolling on her phone.

"Please, she can't hear us. Anyway. Thankfully, you're looking at the man who negotiated an end to the Siege of Fort Ticonderoga!"

"You surrendered unconditionally to the British." Sassapis reminded, causing Alberta to chuckle.

"But we lived to fight another day." Isacc counterpoint.

"You died of dysentery two weeks later."

"Did I?! Thank you. Thank you." Isacc sassed. "Point is, I'm good at talking."

"No, you're not." Cassie laughed. "Oh, and my headphones weren't even turned on doofus! I've heard everything. No, I won't tell. I swear."

"Don't talk to enemy! Destroy them!" Thor advised. "Then toast their deaths with horns full of mead!"

"Okay, that boy has some serious anger issues." Alberta concluded.

"Yep. Hashtag Cray - Cray." Cassie agreed.

"Why do we have to make the livings leave?" Flower asked. "It just seems like such a bummer."

"Okay, she's my fav!" Cassie smiled, causing Trevor, Hetty, and Alberta to feel a twinge of jealousy.

"Because they're planning on turning my beloved Woodstone Mansion into a hotel! That's why! We'll be overrun!" Hetty reminded Flower.

"Exactly! We can't let these invaders take over our land!"

"Do you hear it at all? Do you hear the words that you're saying?" Sassapis questioned Isacc.

"Y'know, we don't have to talk her into leaving or destroy anyone. We could just befriend her and ask her not to open the hotel." Pete inputted.

"So, no hotel, but the hot chick stays? I like that plan." Trevor decided, being greeted with a slap on his leg from where Cassie was sat crossed - legged on the floor in front of him.

"Yeah, it could be useful to have a living we could talk to." Alberta smiled. "Ooh! I could get her to look into the details surrounding my mysterious death."

Hetty groaned. "Ugh, please, you had a heart attack!"

"Which was likely brought on by poisoning."

"Okay!" Hetty scoffed.

"My death, like my life, was spectacular! Had to be! No way I went out from something boring like a busted ticker!"

"It's nothing to be ashamed of." Pete told her. "My doc was pretty worried about my blood pressure. Luckily, didn't turn out to be a problem." He chuckled, gesturing to his arrow.

"Oh, what happened?" Flower asked innocently.

"There's an arr- we've been through this." Pete said, moving his hand straight in front of his neck to show that an arrow went straight through him.

"Hey! Bertie! I could solve your m*rder if you wanted!" Cassie cried excited.

"Really?" Alberta asked sceptical.

"Yeah! I did it for this ghost who haunted my apartment in the Big Apple, and he went to heaven when I was 13 and watched enough cop shows. So, yeah, I could do it!"

Alberta gasped. "You solved his murder and he got sucked off?!" Trevor began to snicker at the phrase as did Cassie before she calmed herself and simply nodded, afraid that she would start laughing at the term they used. "Should we go see how my Mom's doing?" All the ghosts got up and began following Casie to where she knew her mother would be

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Upstairs, Jay had been trying to make some minor modifications to the house. He was currently staring at an old oil painting of a man from the 19th century with a drill in hand and a toolbox on the floor. "Jay!" Sam called out. "Where were you?"

"I was in the attic. Are you okay?"

"Jay, they're back! I woke up, and one was in the bathroom!"

"Hey, hey. Woah, woah, okay." Jay said, trying to soothe her. "These are just residual effects from your accident. What happened?" He questioned once he saw Sam rubbing one part of her head.

"I ran into the door when I tried to attack him with a toilet brush."

"Um, is that like to ghost what steaks are to vampires?"

"It was the only thing handy! Please don't make fun of me. I really saw one!"

"Okay. Um, have you seen one since you hit your head?"

"No!" Sam gasped as realisation hit her. "Do you think somehow hitting my head the second time cured me?"

"I mean, if you haven't seen one since you hit your head, you're probably out of the woods." As he was speaking, the 8 ghosts and Cassie came up behind Jay.

"Oh my God! They're back! They're here! They're all behind you!" Jay looked behind him, but only saw Cassie stood there, smiling innocently and waving. "Hello!" Pete greeted Sam. "Sorry about before." Jay, not hearing or seeing what Sam was turned to her again and said, "I don't see anybody but Cass."

"I would like to formally open negotiation to discuss your withdrawal from Woodstone Mansion." Isacc demanded.

"Here, here!" Hetty agreed.

"I thought we were just shutting down the hotel?" Cassie whispered to Isacc, who waved her off.

"There's a hippie and a viking!" Sam announced, pointing at the two ghosts.

"BEGONE!"

"Peace." Flower said, throwing up the peace sign.

"And a guy dressed like Hamilton!"

"Hamilton?" Isacc questioned, disgust in his voice as he spoke the name. "How do you know about Hamilton?"

"One of them's not wearing any pants!"

"Oh yeah. You like that?" Trevor asked with a smirk, earning a disgusted scoff from Cassie.

"Hi! Alberta." Alberta introduced herself. "Can you help me find out who m**dered me?"

"Hey babe. Remember what the doctor said? You might experience some visual disturbances." Jay informed her.

Isacc left out a breathy laugh. "I'm sorry. Y- You talking about Alexander Hamilton? Did that little twerp become famous?!"

"Wait. Isn't that the guy on the ten dollar bill?" Pete asked.

"The WHAT?!"

"Oh yeah. See?" Cassie asked, grabbing a ten dollar bill from her pocket and showing it to Isacc.

"They seem really real."

"Well, of course we're real!" Hetty spoke. the other ghosts' voices began to clamber over each other as they introduced themselves and ensured Sam that they were real. Even Cassie joined in. Whilst Isacc, however, was still hung up on the news about Hamilton. "He's on paper currency?!"

"Okay, well, what do you think is more likely? that you're seeing ghosts, or do you think you're suffering symptoms of a severe concussion?" Jay asked Sam.

"Ghosts!" Seven of them said whilst Trevor and Cassie both yelled, "Ghosts obviously!"

"Concussion." Sam answered, still staring at the group. The answer caused the other nine to deflate and all go, "No!"

"See, they're all in your head. You just ignore them, then they'll go away." Jay told his wife. Cassie recognised this from when she told her parents that she could see ghosts, and they said simply instructed her to ignore them.