to the faithfully departed

Summary "Are you blushing? I didn't know ghosts could blush." Damn his teasing. My glares don't even faze him. I swear I don't care if it's the only thing I ever do, but I'm going to haunt him for the rest of eternity. ReidxOC. Cowrite w/ Cara Mascara.

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Something is off…

The alarm clock hasn't rang and I'm wide-awake.

This never happens…

And why the heck is it so cold in this room?! As soon as I open my eyes I spot Kira looking in the mirror as she fixes the blouse of her uniform. She was obviously fully awake and ready to go, unlike me. My eyes drifted from her to the clock on the nightstand. Damn. I only have fifteen minutes to shower, change, and eat breakfast. The task of showering alone takes at least that much time. That bimbo! Why didn't she wake me up?!

Okay. So maybe Kira isn't exactly my best friend in the entire world. But we did develop a mutual understanding of each other. And when it was just us late at night in our room we'd even socialize.

"Kira! Why didn't you wake me up?"

The head of red curly hair snapped up so fast I thought for sure I heard it crack. I expected a comeback. A snappy remark. Anything. But what I saw when she turned around...

The Kira Snider that was looking straight at me was unrecognizable, to say the least. Her eyes were bloodshot and glassy. Her normally pale cheeks were red and puffed.

Crying.

Kira Snider was crying.

And not the normal crying she did whenever Aaron broke up with her or when she broke a nail. No. Her entire composure was distraught and her lips even quivered as a sob escaped. The look on her face was indescribable.

Fear.

Shock.

Maybe a mixture of the two. But there was something else too. Pain. It sent shivers straight up my spine and the tiny hairs on the name of my neck stood up.

Kira stood by the door and I could hear her taking deep breaths. What the hell was wrong with her? In the past four years I had never seen her be such an emotional wreck. Standing up from the bed I stood behind her unsure of what to say. But I had to say something. It was part of our unspoken friendship.

"Ki-Kira…"

My hand was almost at her shoulder but she moved and opened the door. "What happe…" The rest of the sentence fell on deaf ears and the door shut in my face. She walked out of our room without as much as another look at me. Without as much as a glance at me.

That was… that was just freaking weird.

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Note to self: give Kira a big thank you slap in the face for making me late.

Oi.

Rewind and erase.

I can't do that. At least not until I find out why she was sobbing it up this morning. The lateness is partially my fault anyway. I spent practically fifteen minutes on my makeup alone. I couldn't figure out why I woke up so bloody pale for the love of me. Usually my complexion was that of the living, but today I looked like an outright dead cow.

It must have been one heck of a night for me… I can't even remember it.

Sigh.

I must've had a really good night or a really bad night and I'm suppressing the memories. Either one the same thing is at fault... alcohol.

Another note to self: never drink again. A-as-a-a-a…

"Achoo!"

Normally I'm not one to complain, but Christ why the hell is it so cold in here? Can this school not afford to turn the heat up or what?! I'm freezing my knicks off! Damn the man that invented this uniform. Not only is this skirt useless but this blouse might as well be made from paper.

Bloody hell.

"Watch where you're going!" I snap at the passing bloke who almost ran me over as if I weren't even walking here. This is like the third time someone almost tramples me down! Have people gone blind or are they just plain stupid today?! Bottom line, people are so rude. That just goes to show no matter how much money people have it can't buy them manners.

Something just wasn't normal today at the elusive Spencer Academy. The air feels thick, so much so that it's sending shivers down my spine. Well it's either that or the fact that it feels below zero in these hallways.

Ah! Waiting at my locker, as always, my best friend in the world. "Angela!" Finally, someone to pull me out of this gloom fest!

Or so I thought. I didn't manage one step towards her when she closed her locker and began walking in the opposite direction. She didn't even bother to take one look at me.

Am I contaminated? Diseased? What the heck is going on?!

"Attention." The voice over the intercom made me stop mid rant; it was Provost Higgins. He hardly ever makes announcements over that thing. It must be important. "A reminder to all students. Please head to the auditorium immediately for a mandatory assembly."

Mandatory assembly… that's strange.

We haven't had one in a long time… not since that kid at the Dells died. Hmmm… Something definitely doesn't feel right today…

I should have stayed in bed.

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This assembly is either really important or really anticipated. Almost everyone in the entire school is already here and seated.

Don't I feel the awkward one… walking in late. Being the last one in is exactly what it felt like. Yet no one really seemed to notice me trying to find a seat. Everyone seems so depressed – the air in here is suffocating. Even the typically preppy cheerleaders are-

"This can't be real!"

That sounded like Angela. And it is Angela. I can see her a couple rows away from me. She's crying. Sobbing much like Kira was this morning. Actually looking around the room… a lot of people seem to be crying. What is going on here?

My feet carry me faster down the aisle. Still no one even glances at me as I make my way right in front of the stage where Provost Higgins is standing behind his podium. Looking around towards the stage my breath locks in my throat and my knees suddenly feel weak. Why is my picture up on stage?

"Students and faculty members, as most of you know we are gathered here for this morbid occasion. Student Helena Lively has passed away…"

Passed?

What the heck is he going on about?

"What!" No one even blinked. "I'm right here!" My voice echoed in the silent room. Still no one paid any mind to me and continued with their grieving. This is insane! My arms fall to my sides and my books scatter at my feet.

"Helena was an intelligent, young and…"

Was?

NO! NO! NO!

"Here! I'm right here!" No 'was'. No! I'm here. Alive and well. "Someone look at me!" My arms frantically waved around in hopes of catching anyone's attention. But nothing. Absolutely nothing.

"It is an injustice that such a vigorous student was taken away from us at only the tender age of 17…"

W-Wha-at? What is he saying?

No… this isn't real. It's a nightmare! Any minute now I'm going to wake up and be back in my bed. This isn't happening! Why is it so damn cold?! The tears rolling down my cheeks are only making me feel colder. My b-body. I can't feel my body. Everything feels numb.

What is happening to me!?

I raise my hand to my heart. I can't feel anything. There's no pulse at all. My heart… it's not beating…

Bloody hell!

… I think I'm dead.

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purpleangel a.n. – now this story has nothing to do with the poll in my profile. this was just something I had to get out there. thanks to cara mascara for wanting to be my co-author on this. oh and a picture of Helena can be seen in my profile. as always all reviews get a sneak peek into the next chapter.