Disclaimer: Own nothing but the plot.


Ch.1: Three Ghosts

Flipping through a magazine she bought at the store, Melinda read through the columns that interested her. Occasionally, she would do one of the personality quizzes to appease her busy mind. Nothing brought boredom around like a slow day at the store and no ghosts to help.

Melinda's eyes were drawn up when her cuckoo-clock rang four o'clock. Absent-mindedly, she looked for the small daycare that had been run by a couple of teens after school. They had always run it by the memorial, since it was the center of town and everyone knew where it was. She wasn't surprised when she didn't see the teenagers running up, ready to watch some kids. Their little daycare had been out of business for a month now.

Brown eyes fell back to the magazine, flipping another page. They instantly flickered up when the bell at the door rang.

Delia walked in with her usual smile on her lips. "Hey!"

"Hey! You're back already?" Melinda greeted, propping her chin on her fist in front of her.

Delia nodded to her. "Yeah. Didn't know if you needed help with the shop or not."

Melinda gestured to the empty store with a humorous smile. "As you can see, I am just buried under work."

Delia laughed, gazing at the 'boatload' of work Melinda had gestured to. "I can see. I might be too scared to help you with all of this."

"Don't you dare leave me here alone." Melinda stated, gazing at her friend seriously. Delia gave a reassuring wave before walking around the counter to stand beside her friend. Melinda gave a small sigh while smiling up at her taller friend.

The two women chatted through the afternoon. Occasionally, a potential customer walked in and browsed around the store. If they had any questions, Melinda answered them readily without trying not to be overbearing. Some of the browsers bought something while others simply said 'have a nice day' and left.

Overall, it was just one of those days that was normal in an abnormal way. It was normal in the sense that nothing happened. It was abnormal in a sense that nothing happened.

"Hey, I'm going to go get some water from the back. Want any?" Delia asked as she walked out from behind the counter, slowly walking towards the back. Melinda nodded, a thankful look in her eye, while Delia gave a small nod back before walking away. She disappeared into the back, rummaging through the small fridge they had there.

Melinda's eyes fell back down to the magazine that lay untouched in front of her. She raised her hand to flip a page when the pages rustled, flipping past various advice columns, how-to guides, and celeb gossip. It stopped near the back, the words 'Missing Persons' blazed across the top in big letters. Under, half a dozen pictures of various missing people in Grandview stared up at her.

She was instantly drawn to the pictures of three seventeen-year-olds near the bottom of the page.

The first portrait was of Tucker Foley. He was an African American boy with turquoise eyes hidden behind glasses. In the picture, he wore the cheesy smile for school pictures with a goofy red beret hat on his head. Though there was a smile on his face, his eyes told a story of how bored he was.

The second was of Samantha Manson. In her portrait, her short ebony hair framed her face. Some of her short hair was pulled into a small ponytail, a green hair-tie blazing through the black. Striking violet eyes stared into the camera, an annoyed frown outlined in purple lipstick on her lips.

The third was of Danny Fenton. His midnight hair was just a tad too long and fell in his face. Bright blue eyes sparkled with silent mirth, a beaming smile that showed all his white teeth on his face. His head was tilted to the side unconsciously; looking like a kind of person older women would just swoon over.

They had been missing for a month after going on a camping trip by themselves just outside of Grandview. It had been a normal trip for the three, going once every other month, except in the dead of winter. They had gone missing late summer. It was the beginning of the school year now, when the three's daycare jobs were needed most.

Melinda studied these pictures before looking up and across the street to the memorial in the center of town, eyelids shooting open in shock as she did.

Sam, Danny, and Tucker stared into the windows of the shop. The two boys were sitting on the edge of the platform while Sam was standing behind them. All wore curious expressions, even though their clothes were in tatters and dirt stained them. Dust and mud covered their faces, turning the color of their skin darker than it was. Danny had blood coating his side; Sam had blood on her legs; Tucker had it running down his face.

Melinda's eyes widened immediately, looking between the pictures and the teens outside. She watched as smiles overcame their expressions, turning to each other with 'I-told-you-so' looks. Quickly, their eyes went back to watch Melinda's reaction.

The woman only stared with horror as people walked past the dirty and blood-stained teens without a second thought.

Words passed between Danny to his two friends, gesturing to the shop with his hand. Sam and Tucker eagerly nodded before they vanished into thin air. As soon as they were gone, they were standing in front of the counter Melinda was standing behind. They looked at her with their grinning faces, blinking robotically even if they didn't have to.

Danny leaned against the counter and teasingly said "So the other ghosties were right! You can see us! Dang, if we knew you had that kind of ability when we were living, we probably would've come said hi more."

"W-Why haven't you crossed over into the Light yet?" Melinda asked worriedly, not used to seeing ghosts so young. There were the occasional teens and children but there were never many. All of them were usually too enticed by the Light to pay attention to the living.

Sam leaned against the counter beside Danny, saying "We need some help with something."

"And since you're the only ones who can see us, you're the only one who can help us." Tucker clarified, copying his friends' actions and leaning against the counter. All of them had to look up at the brunette woman, as she still stood straight even though startled by the teens' presences.

Concern flitting across her features, Melinda asked "What is it that you need?"

"We want our bodies buried."


Before anyone gets excited, this is literally only five chapters long and around seven thousand words. I got it done before I got Those Teen Years done. I find it kind of funny actually... After this, I am definitely taking a day to read through my comic collection again... Fun times...

So yeah... We'll see how this goes. The chapters get longer. ...barely...