Chapter One
"Sheldon, please just have one drink," Leonard begged. They had gone to the Cheesecake Factory for his birthday, and Sheldon was, as usual, becoming insufferable. He didn't want to be there, he found it a waste of time, and he made sure to let everyone around him know it.
"Not a chance," Sheldon said, sitting straight backed on the stool at the bar. "When I moved to California I promised my mother I wouldn't start doing drugs."
"It's just a drink, Sheldon," Leonard said, sighing. "It's not like cocaine."
"Actually, it is very similar to cocaine. It's an inhibitor and it's addictive and-"
"Never mind Sheldon," Leonard said, rolling his eyes. "Forget I asked."
"This brain does not forget," Sheldon said, sniffing in indignation. Leonard walked away, wondering why he had bothered to go over to Sheldon in the first place. He half wished Penny was the one working the bar so she could replace Sheldon's diet coke with an alcoholic beverage, but as his official girlfriend now, she had taken the night off to celebrate his birthday with him. He glanced back once to see that Sheldon had turned and begun talking to a very drunk looking man next to him. He shook his head, then went back to join his friends, smiling when they cheered his return.
Sheldon was not having fun at all. He had been in the middle of working out an equation on one of his white boards when he had been forced to leave the apartment and come to this hell hole of germs and obnoxious people.
"I don't understand why people come to these places," Sheldon said, turning to the man beside him. He ignored the inebriated state of the man, hating to sit in silence more than he hated talking to people. "Theres not a lot I don't understand, but I do not know why people would rather spend time drinking those vile concoctions than doing something productive. Studying physics, for example. I am a theoretical physicist. I should not be forced to come to mundane places such as this one when I was on the verge of a breakthrough in my work. I study String Theory." He glanced once more at the man, who had half turned to face him.
"Waas Strings therom?" The man slurred, and Sheldon raised an eyebrow.
"I'm glad you asked. It's really very interesting," Sheldon began, sipping his diet coke and sitting up a little straighter. "The earliest version of string theory, bosonic string theory, incorporated only the class of particles known as bosons. It was then developed into superstring theory, which posits that a connection – a "supersymmetry" if you will – exists between bosons and the class of particles called fermions. String theory requires the existence of extra spatial dimensions for its mathematical consistency. In realistic physical modules constructed from string theory, these extra dimensions are typically compacted to extremely small scales."
"Look, dude, sorry I asked," the man said, rolling his eyes. He got off the stool and walked toward the exit, swaying, and Sheldon sighed, leaning forward against the counter a little. It was not only annoying to never be able to talk to someone who actually understood his work, but it was also a little lonely, not that he would ever admit that to anyone. He was a superior being, he didn't require human company to sustain himself. But it would have been nice once in a while.
"Leonard, I would like to go home please," Sheldon said, coming to a stop beside Leonard's chair.
"Well then you can walk," Leonard said, still annoyed with Sheldon from earlier.
"I can't walk home, it's more than six miles and its after 11pm," Sheldon said. "What if I get mugged?"
"You won't get mugged," Leonard muttered, then sighed.
"Oh don't worry, I can drive you home Sheldon," Bernadette said, getting to her feet. "I have to work early tomorrow so I'd better get going." She kissed Howard goodbye then turned to Sheldon.
"Thank you, Bernadette," Sheldon said, giving her a small smile.
"No problem," she said, leading him out of the bar to her car. He spent the ten minute ride home talking about how completely useless roundabouts were, Bernadette politely nodded along but he could tell she wasn't actually interested int he subject, just as most people he talked to weren't interested in what he said. It wasn't his fault that he couldn't stand silence at most times. He just thought better when he was talking, or when someone else was talking. He also very greatly disliked silences. Filling them with chatter was something he had begun doing as a child, and he wasn't about to try to change the habit at this point. He barely had to think about what he was saying anymore, his mind seemed to have a separate section dedicated to little interesting facts that he could talk about while the main part of his brain focused on other problems, such as connecting his most recent theory of black hole information paradox with his already existing theory of string-network condensates. He had already almost figured it all out, he just had a few more equations to test to figure out the last missing variable.
He was at home before he realized that Bernadette was no longer listening to his explanation of the dangers of metal door frames. He closed his mouth, the sudden silence of the empty apartment pressing in on him. He took a deep breath in, pushing away the feeling of claustrophobia closing in, and went to his room. It was far past his normal bed time, and he was tired, but something kept him on edge as he changed into his pajamas and got into bed, tucking the blankets around him snugly. It wasn't the normal fear of the quiet that he usually felt when going to sleep, it was something else today. He had the distinct feeling that someone was looking at him, or just standing nearby, but his bedroom was, as always, empty. By the light of the nightlight in the corner, he could see that nothing was out of place, or different, yet every time he closed his eyes the hair on the back of his neck seemed to prickle. It was several minutes before he was able to relax enough to shut his brain off and fall asleep.
The first thing he noticed in the morning was the feeling that something wasn't right. He opened his eyes, blinking in the light coming through the window, and sat up, looking around the room. He had taken in the room twice, not noticing anything different when he heard what must have alerted him to something amiss. There was an almost silent clanging sound from the kitchen. He had assumed that Leonard would have stayed at Penny's apartment last night, since it was his birthday and they were no doubt celebrating with coitus. Apparently that must not have happened, as Leonard wouldn't have been home so early if it had. Sheldon dressed and showered before finally going out to greet his room mate, hoping that he and Penny hadn't had another fight. Leonard was insufferable when he was moping.
He stopped short, seeing a small, dark haired woman sitting on the kitchen counter, eating a bowl of cereal and kicking her feet. Sheldon glanced around the room again, looking for Leonard to explain the situation, but the apartment was empty. He looked back at the girl who had not noticed him.
"Excuse me, but who are you and what are you doing here?" He asked, frowning. She looked up at him, eyes wide, then behind her, then back at him.
"Are you talking to me?" She asked, pointing to herself.
"Of course I'm talking to you," Sheldon sniffed. "There's no one else here."
"Oh," she said, frowning in thought, her eyebrows drawn together.
"Well?" Sheldon asked again, hands on his hips.
"Hmm?" She asked, looking up again. Sheldon scowled.
"What are you doing here?" He asked, growing impatient.
"I'm not sure," she said, frowning again.
"Well then you wouldn't mind leaving," Sheldon said, getting his own bowl and choosing a cereal for breakfast.
"I guess I could," the girl said, jumping off the counter and landing noiselessly on the wood floor. Her bowl had vanished, probably into the sink, and as Sheldon turned to set his things not he counter, he ran into her. Well, rather, through her. He shivered and jumped back, staring at her in confusion. Surely what he had just thought had happened had in face been a hallucination. Was the gas leaking? He couldn't smell anything. Perhaps this was a vivid dream. He pinched his arm, but nothing in the room changed.
"Excuse me again," he said, trying to keep his voice even and polite. "But who did you say you were?"
"I didn't," she said, a small amused look on her face as she leaned against the counter now.
"Well, who are you then?" Sheldon asked, frowning impatiently and crossing his arms. He was glad he was wearing long sleeves, they covered the goose bumps that had sprouted over his skin.
"I'm… not really sure," she replied, frowning in thought.
"You aren't sure?" He repeated skeptically. "What, did you just forget your name and wander in here by accident and then also by accident, make yourself a bowl of cereal? How did you get in here anyway?" He could see even from this side of the living room that the deadbolt was still in the locked position on the door.
"Well, theres not much of a physical barrier when you are dead," she said, looking at him with her arms crossed. Sheldon was silent for a moment, then he snickered.
"Okay, I suppose that was a little funny," he said, then frowned at her again. "Now, the truth if you please."
"Yeah, that would be nice," she muttered. He frowned in confusion as she pushed off the counter and walked toward him. He stepped back as she got closer, then he blinked and she was gone. He shivered at the sudden chill that went up his spine and turned around. She was sitting on the couch in his spot, her legs crossed. She had moved silently, and much to fast, in his opinion. He walked over to her, frowning.
"That's my spot," he said, crossing his arms. She looked up at him, one eyebrow raised, then scooted over. "And you need to go rinse your cereal bowl out. House rules."
"What bowl?" She asked, smirking. He huffed and went over to the sink to show her the bowl, but the sink was empty. He looked around, confused again, then jumped as he turned to see that she had followed him silently. "Another perk."
"Another perk of what?" Sheldon asked, growing irritated. It was like she was deliberately talking nonsense.
"Of being a ghost of course," she said, grinning at him. He stared at her for a moment, then reached an arm out and waved it in front of him. Where it should have hit the girls shoulder, he only felt a brief chill, and she vanished. He looked around the room, but it was empty now. He rubbed his temples, wondering if someone had slipped something into one of his drinks the night before, and turned to pour a bowl of cereal for himself, then he went to his desk to pull up his work from the previous night. He ate as he perused the notes, then washed his bowl and turned back to his desk, ready to work, only to stop short again.
"Okay, what are you doing here," he said, frowning at the dark haired girl. "You can't really exist, you are just some hallucination my brain is creating for some reason."
"Sorry to disappoint," the girl said, staring at the screen as she stood from his chair and moved aside for him to sit. He did so, making extra sure not to brush any part of the hallucinated girl. He forgot about her for a few minutes, becoming enveloped with his work while another small part of his mind tried to puzzle through what he was seeing. He didn't often argue with his own to eyes and ears, but the girl was impossible. There was no way he could reconcile her existence with any information that truly existed.
"Shouldn't that formula be changed to include the potential velocity of a moving molecule?" She said a moment later, and he jumped, startled.
"Of course not, I would have…" he trailed off, his mind automatically reconstructing the equation he had been writing out and noticing that i he followed her suggestion, the equation gave a completely different answer, one that actually fit in with what he was trying to prove with the equation in the first place. He frowned. "How did you know that?"
"I'm not actually sure. Maybe when you die you understand things," she said, shrugging. He turned to frown at her, then raised an eyebrow. She was sitting with he legs crossed, tapping the floor with her foot, on a chair that wasn't visible. She was just hanging in midair. He rubbed his eyes with his hands, but she was still there when he opened them.
"Okay, ignoring the fact that ghosts cannot exist inside the laws of physics, how long have you been dead?" He asked, figuring that while he was having this delusion he may as well get some of his curiosity placated.
"I dunno," she said, shrugging again. "As long as I can remember," she said, her face thoughtful, and a little concerned. "I don't remember my name, or where I'm from. Or what I did when I was alive. I do know that I've never seen anything like that before, but I can understand it perfectly." She waved her hand at the computer. "Not sure why that is though."
"So you don't know anything at all?" He asked, skeptically.
"Hey, this is as weird for me as it is for you," she said, scowling.
"It's not weird, it's impossible," Sheldon said, shaking his head. "You simply can't exist."
"Well I do," she said crossly.
"Why are you here?" Sheldon asked, leaning back a little win his chair.
"I already told you, I don't know," she mumbled, laying back into her invisible chair and kicking her feet up onto an invisible table so that her form was entirely supported by air.
"No, I meant here in particular? In my apartment?" Sheldon clarified, watching her with a frown.
"Oh, I'm not sure. I just woke up here this morning," she said, slowly drifting to the floor, then moving herself so she was in a more comfortable non existent position. "I felt really weird when I woke up. Like, my chest and stomach ached, and my entire right side hurt, but its gone now. And now I just feel this pull to stay here. Maybe its because you can see me. No one in the hallway this morning could."
"You were in the hallway this morning?" Sheldon asked curiously. "Why?"
"I was trying to figure out where I was," she said, shrugging. "I passed the woman from upstairs and two people from lower floors and said hello. None of them could hear me, and I'm assuming they couldn't see me either."
"Hm," Sheldon said, frowning as he thought.
"So, explain to me what you a re working on," the girl said, sitting cross legged on the floor next to his chair. He launched into an explanation of the current equation, then explained the larger project to connect his two theories and then into other theories he had come up with, continuing to work as he did so. She seemed to be paying attention both times he had glanced over at her, and she had asked a few questions when he went off subject. Based off the questions, she actually understood what he was saying, for the most part.
"Sheldon, what are you doing?" The voice surprised him because it wasn't a feminine one. He jumped in his chair a little, turning to face the door. Leonard was standing there, his eyebrows raised.
"I was explaining…" he glanced down at where the girl was sitting on the floor and frowned. If what she said was true, Leonard wouldn't be able to see her. "Leonard, how many people, other than yourself, are in this room?"
"Just you Sheldon," Leonard said, not even bothering to question Sheldon's antics anymore.
"Then I was just talking to myself," Sheldon said, nodding as he turned back to his computer screen. Leonard went to his room, then a few moments later, Sheldon heard the shower turn on.
"If I understood everything you were saying correctly, shouldn't your whole project fit in with the other theory with just this equation?" The girl asked a few moments later.
"No," Sheldon said, shaking his head. "I need one that can accommodate all the variables contained in the other theory since there is no possible way to test the energy used in black holes."
"Oh," the girl said. "Well wouldn't that equation be subject to which variables used in the other theory at a given moment?" Sheldon was silent for a moment, then he flipped open a notebook and began drawing out what she had suggested. He gazed at the finished paper for a moment, then grinned.
"It works," he said, typing it into his computer. "You were right."
"Right about what?" Leonard asked, walking across the room to his desk. Sheldon just shook his head ignored him, typing quickly.
"So you are done with the whole thing?" The girl asked, jumping silently to her feet.
"It all fits together, I was right," Sheldon said, nodding.
"Oh you finished that paper?" Leonard asked, and Sheldon sighed.
"Almost. I have all the theories and equations, I just have to finish typing it," Sheldon said.
"Good job," the girl said, patting his head. He shivered as her hand passed through his head and shoulders.
"Nice," Leonard said, not seeing Sheldon's waving hand as he tried to push the girls arm away from him. She laughed as he sighed frustratedly, then sat back onto an invisible chair next to him to watch him finish off his paper.
Sheldon had decided to completely ignore the fact that there was no possible way for the girl to exist. He might have guessed that she and the others were playing a practical joke on him, but she had floated, in mid air, and he had looked for wires or something to keep her there but had seen nothing. And she had vanished earlier. He had blinked, and she was gone.
"Leonard," Sheldon asked, turning his chair to face the other man. "What do you think is the possibility of ghosts existing?" The girl let out a slightly condescending sound, but stayed but in her chair
"Well, I personally don't believe they exist," Leonard said, and Sheldon made to turn back to his computer. "But it could be possible that they are just part of another dimension, one we haven't studied yet. I suppose it could be possible that ghosts are an impression upon the subatomic wave of the universe, created through a strong emotion of a sentient observer."
"But by that theory ghosts would be spirits of the living not the dead, and the observer would only see the ghost of someone they were emotionally attached to which would then suggest that they were only seeing what they wanted to see," Sheldon said, frowning. Leonard shrugged.
"Observation changes the subject being observed," he said like it was some sort of answer to Sheldon's question. Sheldon sighed and turned back to his computer, immediately resolving to start researching the possibility of ghosts right after he had finished typing up his paper.