It was the early hours of Halloween, puffs of warm air released from the young kids' mouths turned into smoke. The warm and bubbly sound of laughter filled the cold and empty streets of a small town. An empty beer can left the grasp of a young blonde girl in a letterman jacket, frayed denim shorts, and doubled up flesh-colored stockings to keep the cold from nipping at her. Cigarettes were passed from the pocket of a kid with a beanie to a boy in a letterman jacket and the boy with premature gray hair. The only girl stole one as the blonde-haired beanie boy put it back in his pocket.

He gave her a look but she just smiled and said, "Anyone got a light?" The wild curly haired boy in the school jacket flicked open his lighter and the four of them ignited the end.

"So who do you think is going to complain the most that we asked them to hang so late?" Shin asked quietly.

The girl looked down her phone and laughed. "Money's on Rei." She showed them the screen of her phone. "She's already complaining that she actually went to sleep on time and then—quote—'you four trouble-makers start texting my phone like there's a fire. How did any of you actually get my phone number?'"

"I got it from Mina." The blonde said and the brunette nodded.

"As did I." Shin remarked and then sighed. "How did you get it?"

Mina turned with a bright smile. "I got it from her records, obviously. It's a long boring story and I'd rather not share it."

"Because obviously, you broke into the registrar's office and read through records. Probably not just hers but all of ours. She is nosy after all."

"Well, I guess it wasn't that long." Mina shrugged. The boys began to mutter about her ability to make the most mundane story to a two-part epic starring herself as the tortured heroine, for which she hit all of them for.

A voice suddenly joined them. "You know, you're lucky I was up but this does take valuable study time and it took up even more time to find where you guys were. So I hacked into Nathan's phone and found his location." Nathan, took the girl's pause as a chance to look at his phone. "Mina, why isn't your phone's location on?"

"Because my mom checks on me that way. Obviously, I had to fix that." Mina said with a shrug and returned back to her phone. The other girl simply nodded and walked quietly beside her. The new girl's shoulders were curved into herself. Her hands slid upon one another as she tried to create heat.

"I like the cold but…" She mumbled. "But this is a little too much."

"You should've worn a jacket." The unruly brunette boy said after the smoke of his cigarette had streamed out from his pursed lips.

The girl laughed. "Yes, it's obvious now. I should have checked the weather." Her head bobbed as she stared at the ground.

"Lighten up, Ami." Mina bumped her shoulder. Ami looked up with a semi-smile. "He was just making conversation. You didn't do anything wrong." Then the blonde flashed another toothy smile and grabbed a hold of Ami's hand. Ami, again, nodded to the ground.

There were a few moments of quiet. They looked back to the light screens as if they had lost all interest in one another. Ami was the one who looked up from the device the most, her features clinched. She was anxious for someone who she was more comfortable with to come. And he entered the moment it seemed she was going to resign and return to her studies.

He was taller than the blonde boy with the knitted hat but not as tall as the other two boys. His eyes a brilliant blue underneath his midnight hair. One would probably expect them to look malevolent or disgusted. They were soft yet serious like the ocean in a storm. His smile never widened enough to expose his teeth but he greeted them in good nature.

"Hello everyone. Thank you for the directions, Shin. I was very lost." He broke his sentence to cough. "I don't come out at night often." The gray-haired boy nodded returning the same closed smile.

"How ya doin', Chiba?" Mina's fake casualness etched her smile a little too tight and her eyes too narrow. "Didn't know you were coming?"

"That's funny because I didn't know you'd be here." He gave a pointed look to the other boys. He and Mina both nodded. They both forced a smile when they regained eye-contact.

"So after all that bottled up hatred spilling last month. This is what we get?" The athletic boy wrapped his arms around their necks. This forced the two. "You two pretending to be cool with each other?"

Mina scoffed. "Pfft…why would we need to pretend?"

"For…Bunny." A new voice emphasized and a girl with a dark green baseball cap, the voice's owner, entered. Her ponytail continuing to sway as she walked over to the three that were presently talking. She wore a simple green sweater and a beat-up leather jacket over that. Her jeans came up too high on her ankles, for she did not have the resources to keep up with her ever-growing body. However, she covered the gap with thick socks and knee high boots that matched the brown in her jacket. While one hand was in her jacket, her other bare hand was attached to light pink gloves. A girl with long pigtails, dressed from head to toe in pink, had both her gloved hands wrapped around the other girl's.

"Wait, what? What's going on?" Bunny yelled but it was lost in Mamoru's words.

"Why would I do anything for that hare-brained brat? If I honestly didn't like Mina, I wouldn't pretend for her sake." His voice peaked for the first time since he entered. The blonde boy snickered at the boy's unintentional pun.

"Because you," Mina whispered, "Like her."

His arms moved indignantly to make the girl move away from him.

"What? Ugh. Never." He groaned. His flushing cheeks gave away his embarrassment. His arms crossed over his slim torso.

"Very refined, Mamoru." A girl with dark hair entered from the dark overhang of a tree as she had been leaning on the side of the building for a few moments. She stood with her hands in the leather pockets of her black jacket.

"Where do you even come from?" The knit-capped boy muttered as he flicked his cigarette bud. His eyes followed the direction of the bud rather than meet the pair of violet eyes. However, he had stopped slumping and turned when her voice broke the silence among their peers.

"Over there, Jay." Her arm waved back to the place where she first stood. Jay's body moved back to its former state as she walked briskly to the three other girls. Her steps were very measured but effortless as she walked over in pumps. A girl her age with less experience would have made endless scraping and clattering as she walked but her heels only made a small tap on the asphalt.

"I thought you were right behind us." The girl in all pink asked.

"I was but I just had to watch the unfolding scene." The girl pressed her dark gloves to the red cable knit covering her torso. "I didn't want to interrupt. I thought we'd finally get a confession." Mamoru rolled his eyes and scoffed. The pink from his cheeks had yet to fade.

"EW, REI!" The long pigtailed girl cried. "WE'RE SWORN ENEMIES." Ami and the girl in a cap chuckled at this.

"Sworn enemies, huh?" The male athlete asked.

Bunny nodded vigorously. "Ever since the day he teased me about my grades, Mamoru has been my ultimate foe. My final boss. My…"

"Love interest?" Rei offered with a smirk. Bunny stamped her foot and groaned.

"I'm glad to know I have so much power in your life. I'm a final boss? An ultimate foe? And here, I just thought you were some sort of constant nuisance in my life." Although his words were a bit heartless, Mamoru was grinning.

Mina laughed. "It's ridiculous how much they claim to hate each other when really," She whispered her next line but the group was still in earshot. "They want to bang each other senseless." The girls parted from Mina almost instantaneously. A few wide-eyed looks from the group and heads shaking. Others just groaned her name for being so crude.

Shin seeing the red in Mamoru's cheeks finally spoke up. "Mina, god, be quiet for once." The gray-haired boy said addressing the athlete.

She simply shined her charismatic smile to him as she stole the beer from his hands. "Why should I?"

He sighed as if he couldn't muster the energy to entertain her ignorance and the fact that she stole his beer wasn't helping their on-again-off-again relationship. Bunny and Mamoru stood behind the two. They weren't quite touching but they were close enough for the causal brush. The nerd in the dress and cardigan simply rolled her eyes at the group's fuss over the two. The intimidating brunette with the cap looked to Bunny and rolled her eyes whispering the word, typical, about their friend Mina. Which made Bunny relax a little and laugh. Ami combed her short hair behind her ears and meekly spoke up to change the subject.

"Well, as fitting as it is, we are about a block away from that haunted house, that I assume of course, that everyone is talking about. And it is technically Halloween." Suddenly, the peppy girl's toothy smile left her face.

"What even makes that place haunted?" The girl with a cap inquired.

The dark haired girl spoke up. Judging by the smile on her face, this was her expertise. "According to the old papers I found, there was a homicide/suicide in the house. The man who lived in the house was in love with a woman while he had a wife. So his wife was angry and threw a grand party then killed everyone at the party."

"Shit. Don't mess with her." The male athlete said.

Mina waved her hands. "Except she's wrong, local legend says that the owner of the house fell in love with a witch. So, her coven crashed this party the wife was throwing and basically had a smack down in an old timey way. And then the wife goes and grabs a knife and goes to kill the woman her hubby's been messing around with. Except boom her husband cuts in front of her and dies for his lady on the side."

"The way you tell it is so crude." The girl interjected.

"Whatever. Then basically the coven and the party guests get into this giant fight with knives and wands and then boom everyone was dead. So there's this reason why a big negative energy would be trapped there. And kids around here say that they see a woman's figure walk around the house." She paused. "Those who went in…AND LIVED." A few chuckles occurred but mostly looks of disbelief were delivered to the girl's direction.

"Oh yeah. My brother went into that house." Jay said with a shrug. "He said that it was pretty boring but he did almost die.'
Mina and Rei nodded with grins to their ears. "Yeah, how?" They said simultaneously.

"Well, first of all could you not look so excited about the fact that my brother almost died?" They both sighed and tried to go back to blank faces. "Second, it was mundane. He fell through some weak wood and was stuck in a hole in the ground. My mother had to go and pick him and his friends up." Jay began to smile. "Keep in mind, this kid's in college, so really funny that Mom had to go and—"

"Ugh. Whatever. So boring." Mina groaned.

Rei said to where only Jay could hear. "The fact that your brother was picked up by his mother at an age where he is supposed to be taking care of himself is quite humorous." His face was stained pink after her hushed tone dissolved in the air. Then she turned her back and joined the group of girls, once more.

"Can we not play this childish game?" The gray-haired boy said with great boredom. "I don't want this to turn into some test of courage."

"Why? Because you're scared?" The athlete asked.

"Nathan, I do not fear anything. Especially something as childish as ghosts." Shin spoke to reclaim his nonchalance. "I was being generous because you all would lose to me in a test of courage." This comment was met with a symphony of scoffs.

"Although, I do agree that believing in ghosts is childish," Ami repeated and a smirk raised on her lips. "I do believe, Shin is scared."

"Traitor." He whispered.

"Ghosts are real. Spirits of all kind are real and gather in certain location." Rei's tone was serious and too still for the subject. It gave Bunny chills.

"Psycho Hino." The football player whispered. Although, he was at the top of the pyramid at school was not here. The intimidating girl turned around and punched him in the gut. "Jesus, Mako." Mako's ponytail swished back into place as she stood back to her place and cracked her knuckles.

"God just apologize, Nathan." A new voice said. He was greeted with a chorus of Zanders which he bowed to. Mako came over and put her arm around his shoulders.

"What?" Her eyes narrowed at him and Nathan turned quickly. "Sorry, Rei."

Rei rolled her eyes and replied flatly, "I told you, it's Miss Hino to you." The stoner almost spat his drink on her red shoes. He swallowed hard and began to laugh. "Anyway, we're off topic. Shin's scared of ghosts. Even though most ghosts are just confused at their state and lost."

"Oh is this what I missed?" Zander said to no one in particular but received several nods. "Is this why we're standing in the middle of a street? Because we're testing Shin's mettle or—?"

"Oh shush." Ami abruptly spoke in the middle of Zander's sentence. For which, he shoved her lightly on the shoulder.

Mamoru tapped Shin on shoulder causing the group to pause in the empty intersection. "I, Mamoru, dare you, Shin," He said with a great pause and a smile. "To prove all of us wrong and go inside the haunted house."

Nathan stepped up to help Mamoru. "Yeah. Please show us that ghosts don't really exist."

"Oh this is just childish." He said in annoyance.
Mina jumped on his back and ruffled Shin's graying hair, "Well, gramps, you're still legally a child, so you're permitted to do childish things."

"So I'm going alone?" They all nodded. Mina more feverishly than the others. "Cowards."

Rei walked up to the intersection. "I'll go too."

"Because spirits are real and you can," Zander put air quotes around the following words. "See them."

"Are you doubting my abilities, Zander?" She snapped, her voice spiking over his name. Mako noted this was the first time her voice had changed pitch.

"I can pretend too! Look, I'll take the Rei Hino approach to seeing things!" Zander placed his forefingers on his temple and closed his eyes. Rei scoffed indignantly. "Over there!" He pointed to a small, white, hanging sign advertising a barber. "There's something!"

"Oh whatever." Mako nervously laughed through her statement.

"Are you going to go with us?" Rei asked Zander. "Prove me wrong, please."

"Fine! I will!" He narrowed his eyes at the young woman. Shin thought for a split second to ask if he was still going alone together. His uncertainty of the situation made him decide otherwise.

"Why don't we all go?" Mina smiled. "Eh, Jay? We were talking about this place a few months ago. Why don't we all do it?"

Jay coughed, his smile disappearing. "…Ya sure, Mina? I don't know about that. I mean one of my brothers went in and he said…"

"And he fell through the roof, we all heard you." Nathan smiled. "What's the matter, Jay, you scared?"

Jay smirked. "Then you go in too."

"Shit no."

"What's the big deal, Nathan?"

"I leave the dead alone." Their smiles faded and a cold breeze blew at the back of Mamoru's neck. Although his face did not waiver while he vigorously rubbed the back of his neck to create heat again.

Mako stuck her hands into the pockets of her jacket. "Who all believes in ghosts? Raise your hands or something…I don't know." Rei extended her arm to display her unwavering belief in the supernatural. Jay's hand came up half-heartedly as did Mina's hand and her eyebrows with a smirk painted on her features. Nathan kept his arms crossed. Bunny raised her hand timidly as if the mere mention would bring the restless spirits out.

"Okay that's four out of ten. That means more than—" Mako's hand raised as her head lowered. "Half of us have a brain." Zander hissed.

Then, Mamoru's hand raised.

"Oh my god." The short-haired girl sighed. "You too? You think ghosts are real? Ghosts are simply your brain piecing together what you saw quickly. Since apparently your mind can't accept, something colored white in the corner of your eye or something rattling can't be the air conditioner or the heat."

"Believing in another presence doesn't mean you're foolish. Not believing is just ignorant." Rei emphasized as her raised hand crossed back over her torso.

Ami opened her mouth to retort but Mamoru interrupted before she could speak.

"Thanks Rei but Ami, no, listen." He whispered. The rest of the group moved into a huddle. "This happened a few times to me but there was this woman in all white and she would whisper things to me that I can't remember…anymore. Sometimes I would wake up and she was holding my hand or had her head resting at the foot of my bed. I think she liked watching me sleep…"

Just as the chills from the story came in, the barber sign clattered to the ground.