Days such as this made me happy to be six. There was nothing better than a bag full of Halloween candy and a mug full of hot chocolate on a couch full of people. I snuggled under the itchy afgan, spilling some of my drink onto it in the process.

I watched the steam rise out of my mug and disappear into the air. It was warm to the touch and always left my fingers damp. The coziness of the couch gave me a happy feeling; it made me feel, well, safe. It was warm, and I was surrounded by people that cared about me. I always got a tingly, happy feeling when we were all together like this. Even if Near was there, too.

Matt's back pressed against my arm as his feet pushed against the arm of the sofa. Beeping sounds floated from the neon orange game he held in his hands.

Near curled up on the other side of the couch, separated from me by a barrier. The barrier reached his hand into my Halloween bag and took out a peanut butter cup. It peeled the wrapper off and pushed it in between its teeth.

"Happy birthday, L!" I said, handing him another candy. "What's it like to be sixteen?"

"Thank you." He nodded, eating the candy. "It's not much different than fifteen, or any other age." He surfed through the channels, looking for something unknown to me.

Finally, he settled on a movie. A girl was talking about some sort of "Captain Howdy" and playing with a strange game board that I had never seen before.

"What's this?" Near asked.

"A scary movie," L answered, pulling the blanket up to over his knees and around his shoulders.

--

Two hours later, I stared at the credits that ended "The Exorcist".

The movie had had a stupid plot, bad special effects, lame scares, and a crappy ending.

And I was absolutely terrified; even Matt was holding on to my sleeve and sitting in a position close to L's out of fear.

I had never seen a scary movie before. Neither had Matt, Near, or even L.

I looked over to L and Near.

L looked unfazed, but I could see Near trembling a bit in his baggy white clothes.

"I'm going to bed," Near informed, getting off the couch. At that moment, the old orphanage's pipes made a strange clicking sound. He jumped slightly, but regained his composure right away. His eyes darted to the window. There was no moon tonight; the entire sky was black apart from a few scattered, visible stars.

"Go on," I urged, snuggling closer into the safety of the afgan. "It's nine, so it's way past your bedtime."

"Yours, too," Near retorted.

I slapped Matt when he snickered and said quickly, "why don't you go?"

He shook his red hair fiercely; I took this opportunity to mock him. We had a short, childish fight as Near took a few nervous steps forward, his footsteps light and shaky. When he got to the darkness of the hallway, his footsteps quickened until his room light was on. He closed the door quickly, but light could still be seen through the cracks.

"He's such a scaredy-cat!" Matt laughed.

"Yeah!"

"Why don't you two go to your rooms?" L asked quietly. We knew he wasn't pushing us to go to bed, he was just trying to get us to see that picking on Near was wrong.

We looked down sadly. We hated getting reprimanded- in even the gentlest way- by L.

"Do you hear that?" Matt asked.

L turned off the television and we all listened in silence to a mumbled conversation. Near was talking out loud; something he was not known for doing. He was usually very silent, and that piqued our curiosity.

Then we heard it. Another voice, one slightly older and masculine. One we had never heard before.

Forgetting about the terror of the shadows, the three of us stood up and tiptoed to Near's door, which was on the bottom floor with the rest of the children, so that assistants could get to them quickly in case of a nightmare, which were common with the orphans. I had had them when I was younger. I would wake up screaming for my parents, although I would always have forgotten what the dream had been about.

"Who are you?" Near's muffled voice asked.

"My name is Kai," answered the stranger. His voice cracked, as if he were going through puberty. He was much too old to be sleeping on this floor, unless he had nightmares for some reason. I wondered for a moment if he were Near's new roommate. It's odd, though, that he never brought it up, I thought.

"How old are you?"

"How old are you?" Near asked with a bit of hesitance in his voice. He didn't sound afraid, just confused.

"Fourteen."

"I'm four. Where are you from?"

"Britain."

"Why are you here?"

"I don't think I can tell you that. I'm afraid I don't truly know the specifics myself."

There was a pause. "How did you die?"

"I was murdered."

At that question, I realized that I was in darkness, and I was afraid. I clung on to Matt, breaking him out of the dream-like state that he, like L and I, had been lured into by the strange conversation.

L knocked on Near's door. "Near? Are you alright in there?"

"Yes."

"Who are you talking to?"

"Kai."

"Who's Kai?"

"The ghost."

L reached for the doorknob, but the door swung open before he could touch it.

"Thank you, Kai," Near said. He was sitting on the floor surrounded by toy train tracks in the middle of the room.

"Did you open that door?" L asked, even though he knew Near couldn't have.

Near didn't answer, sensing that the question had been rhetorical.

The three of us walked in and looked around, but none of us saw the ghost.

"Where is he?" I asked mockingly.

"He's shy," Near answered, playing with his trains.

Matt took his game out of his pocket and began playing. "I have better things to do," he mumbled as he walked out of Near's room and to his own. He didn't believe in ghosts, and pretty much hated Halloween.

I knew it was really because he got scared easily.

Then, a figure appeared before my very eyes. L gasped and fell to the floor, landing on his bottom.

"Matt?" I called, not able to peel my eyes away from the phantom. When I got no response, I called louder, then louder still. Only when I had called him four times did I turn to realize he had been standing behind me the whole time. He hadn't had time to walk away before this "Kai" had appeared.

"What... Who are you?" L asked. His voice was squeaky and very afraid.

"I," the ghost said with a sigh, "am Kai. And I died in 1952 on Halloween by my mother's hand. You must help me, or I'll take you to the underworld upon your deaths." He ran his fingers through his black hair and narrowed his eyes, which were the color of aquamarines. He looked intimidating, standing at least about three feet taller than I, and even four inches taller than L.

He looked alive. If one were to walk by now, they'd never think he was a ghost, except for his eyes that shined with the light of something obviously paranormal. I had never seen eyes like that, and they drew me in.

We all stared up at him with large, frightened eyes, except Near who continued to play with his trains as though the ghost wasn't even there. He didn't even look up. I, however, was close to tears. Behind me, Matt was whimpering like a puppy in a cage at the kennel.

Kai smiled. It was a terrifying sight, even though he had not a hint of malice in his expression. Actually, it looked amused. "I was kidding."

L stood. "Ah. Well, be aware that there are children present. It's unwise to say such th- Matt, are you alright?"

At his words, I turned stiffly to Matt. He stood like a statue, staring wide-eyed through his goggles at Kai, not blinking. His mouth was closed tightly into a straight line, and he was breathing shakily through his nose. His terrified expression sent a chill down my spine. And then I began to cry.

Ghosts weren't something that I had experience with. I didn't believe in those things. They went against all that science taught! It made no sense. No, I must be dreaming. I'm still under the afgan, my hot cocoa is finished, and my bag of chocolate bars is pressed to my chest in a hug. And there is no such things as ghosts.

I fell to the ground, crying loudly. Kai ran up to me and pushed his hand against my mouth, muffling my yells. He held me to his body to keep me from getting away and screaming more.

"Shut up! You'll wake the whole place! I'm not scary!"

I only yelled louder, flailing in his arms. I looked up to Matt through my tears, who just stared, too afraid to move.

"Stop being such a baby," Near said, completely unafraid of the ghost.

I stopped crying immediately. I wasn't going to be a baby in front of Near! No way! Kai slowly let go of me, and I didn't cry again.

Near stood and walked to his bed. "We'll talk to Fae. She'll know what to do."

"Fae?" I asked, a few quick breaths from crying.

"She's a fifteen year old from upstairs. She'll know what to do about Kai. She's good with ghosts." Near yawned and curled under the covers.

"I'll be gone by tomorrow," Kai said, his words slow and sad.

Matt took a deep breath, gathering his courage to speak. "Where will you be?"

Kai looked down at his shoes sadly. "In blackness."

Near sat up in bed and turned to us. "What?"

"I'm only let free from the prison of death every Halloween 'till sunrise of the next day."

"Why?" I asked.

"Who knows?"

"How will you be saved?" Matt asked, interested now.

"I don't know. I think I have a few theories, though."

L blinked. "They are?"

"I either have to finish something, get revenge, or I'm cursed."

"So we have to help you?" Matt gasped, seeing this as a videogame.

"If you will."

My mind started racing. This would be the first time I stayed up all night! Matt was pumped for it, L stood straight up, and Near got out of bed.

I smiled. "Let's go get Fae!"