"Who are you?" There was little girl looking to be about four years old questioning the older boy that was standing in the corner of her large new bedroom.

"I'm Tate, who are you?"

"I'm Violet! Violet Harmon! This is my new room! Isn't it nice? It's so much bigger than my old room! I miss the old one though because grandma and grandpa still live near there."

Violet bounded over to the bed that was set against the wall opposite her bedroom door, her shiny dirty blond hair bouncing around her shoulders. The teenage boy that she had just greeted was staring at her with a baffled expression. He couldn't understand why there was a little girl in his old bedroom. When did her family buy the house? He had seen the "for sale" sign out front but he didn't remember seeing anyone tour the home. He was even more confused by the girl's ability to see him. He was fairly certain he had hidden himself before she walked in. How could this Violet girl see him? He was mulling over these thoughts when she spoke again.

"I'm sorry that you live far away from your grandma and grandpa now. I'm sure you'll still see them on holidays and stuff though," Tate broke his short silence, unsure of what else to say.

"I didn't think of that! I really can't wait until Christmas now! Oh, and Tate? Mommy said the house was empty for a long time before we came here, so why are you here?" It surprised Tate how quickly this little girl could change subjects.

"Oh, I'm here because I have to be here. It's a long and… and sad... and... sort of scary story. But that's okay. I won't bother you. I'm actually really happy you're here. I haven't had anyone to talk to for a long time," Tate didn't want to tell her why he was here. He knew that telling a four year old that he was a ghost who's been stuck in her new home since before she was even born wasn't a very good idea. Whether he liked it or not, he was here and he couldn't leave, so the two would have to find a way to get along. Especially if he couldn't hide himself from her.

"You can tell me the story, I won't get scared. I'm a big girl now! Mommy said so after I tied my shoes this morning!" Violet put a shining grin on her rosy-cheeked face and patted the spot next to her on the bed. Tate visibly hesitated, making her huge grin lessen to an unsure smile. At her obvious deflation, Tate quickly hid his hesitation and moved over to where Violet's hand was still holding his spot. He sat down and tried to figure out what to tell her. He didn't want to scare her but he also didn't want to lie. He had always hated liars.

"So, Violet, it's a long story. And you still have unpacking to do, so I'm going to make this nice and short, okay? Maybe I'll tell you the rest some other day."

"Okay, if you insist," Violet had a slight pout on her face. When Tate started talking again, it disappeared as fast as it had appeared.

"I'm what you might call a ghost. You know what a ghost is? Of course you do, everyone does. Anyway, I'm a ghost and I'm stuck here. And most people can't see me. I don't know why you can… maybe it's because you're so little and you still believe in ghosts and whatnot. Do you believe in ghosts? I'm guessing you do. Maybe that's why you can see me. Who knows? But yeah, I'm a ghost because I, y'know, died. And I died in this house, so I'm haunting it… I guess. Is that good enough? Oh! And please don't tell your parents about me… they might get freaked out… or they might think you're crazy… and I just don't want to cause problems, okay?"

Violet was quiet for a few moments, clearly trying to process everything that he said. Tate waited with bated breath. When Violet did speak again, it wasn't at all what he expected to hear.

"But aren't ghosts supposed to be mean and scary? You're so nice and not scary!"

"Uh… yeah. I'm really not sure. Did you hear everything I said? Because it was important," he stressed. He wanted to be sure she wouldn't tell her parents about. He wasn't sure how they would react and the last thing he wanted was for them to leave and doom him to loneliness again. Well, not exactly loneliness, what with the other ghosts roaming the same halls he did. It was more of a feeling of being shunned. The other ghosts didn't like him. Hell, who did? Other than this odd little girl. She would hate him in time, of that he was convinced.

"I won't tell mommy and daddy, I promise. They probably wouldn't listen anyway. They always tell me that they're too busy," Violet's words confused Tate a bit.

"Too busy for what? Too busy to talk?"

"No, too busy for me. They said they have to work so they have money to pay for things and that I can't bother them while they're working. They never talk to me or play with me or read stories with me. They always say they're too busy to do silly things like that. They fight a lot too... and I always seem to be one of the things they fight about."

Tate's heart thumped painfully in his dead chest. How could her parents ignore and hurt her in such a way? She was such an adorable and sweet little girl. The last thing she deserved was to be treated like that.

"Listen to me Violet," Tate turned his head of shaggy, sandy hair towards her and made sure she was paying close attention to him, "I promise, for as long as you live here, I will be here for you to talk to. If you have a bad day, tell me about it. If you have a good day, tell me about it, okay? We can play whatever games you want too. And if you find a book that you like, we can read it together, sound like a plan?" Violet's whiskey eyes were twinkling. She smiled the biggest smile Tate had ever seen. In the blink of an eye she had her tiny arms wrapped around his neck in a sweet embrace.

"Sounds like a plan! Thank you, thank you, thank you Tate! I told you you were nice!" Tate chuckled and returned the tight hug, happy to have made her smile, no matter how wrong she was in her happiness. He wasn't nice, and he never had been. After a moment, they released each other and Tate spoke again.

"Now, how about I help you set up your room, little miss?"