"Dude, all you need is a game plan," Benny said while we were eating lunch later that day. "First, you gotta hint that you're interested, but don't be too obvious. Second, try to figure out what her interests are. Third-"

"Okay, I'm gonna stop you right there," I interrupted, pointing my fork at him. "I've been hinting for over three months now that I'm interested. And we pretty much have no choice but to share the same interests, since we're always fighting netherworld goons."

"Okay," Benny said, disappointed. "It sounded like a good plan in my head. I just wish I could help you out, man."

"It's okay," I said, shrugging. "My time will come."

"I believe it already has."

I laughed. "Nice Fangstorm voice, Benny."

He looked up at me, confused. "What?"

"You just said 'Maybe it already has' in that voice you used with Doug."

"No, I didn't say anything," he said slowly, as if I had lost my mind.

"He is telling the truth." I heard the words, but Benny wasn't saying them. They were in my head.

My eyes went wide as I broke into a cold sweat. After all the crazy stressful stuff that had happened in the past three months, was I finally losing my mind?

"Are you okay, bud?" Benny asked, a little worried. "Can you hear voices now too or something?"

"Uh, I'll be back," I said nervously. I stood up and started fast-walking towards the bathroom. Fortunately, it was empty.

"Okay," I started, pacing back and forth. "Am I imagining things, or are you really there?"

"Unfortunately, I am really here," the creepy disembodied voice said with a sigh.

I groaned, pressing my forehead to the wall. "What do you want?"

"Firstly, I would like to get out of your head," he said pompously. "Secondly, I would like to find my dearest sweet, whom I have been searching for endlessly for centuries."

"And how would I possibly be able to help you?" I grumbled.

"I've heard that you are the local genius with connections to the supernatural," he explained. "I thought surely you could come up with a plan."

"Yeah, I've got one," I said through gritted teeth. "It involves you keeping your mouth shut for the rest of the school day."

He gasped. "How rude!"

"Now I need to get to class," I said, walking out of the bathroom. Once I got back to our lunch table, it was time to leave.

"You good?" Benny asked as I picked up my tray.

"Oh, yeah," I said with a smile. "Nothing I can't handle."


The rest of the day went along pretty smoothly until English class. It had been a few hours since I had first heard "the voice," and I was desperately hoping and praying that it had decide to leave me alone.

I should've known better.

I was in the middle of reading "Pride and Prejudice" when it spoke again.

"Young man," it started, making me jump halfway out of my seat. "I am willing to overlook your rude behavior from earlier this afternoon, because I think I gave you a terrible fright."

"'Terrible Fright'?" I whispered as soon as my pulse had returned to a safe speed. "Who says that kind of stuff anymore?"

"I do," he said defiantly. "I've been searching for centuries, remember?"

"School's not out yet," I reminded him testily. "I promise I'll try to help you once I get home."

"I feel I've been waiting long enough," he said angrily. "Two-hundred years I've been waiting, and I am truly out of patience."

Aware that Liz and everyone else around me were watching my own personal crazy fest, I went back to reading and tried to ignore the voice.

"Tick…tock," it began after a few seconds, "tick… tock… tick… tock… tick… tock… tick… tock… tick… tock… tick-"

"Get out of my head!" I shouted. He stopped, but now the whole class was staring at me, with Liz's eyes an inch wider than usual.

I laughed nervously, holding up the book. "It's just… such an awesome book!" I told the teacher unconvincingly. "Gets into your head."

Surprisingly, my teacher bought it. She smiled at me and went back to her reading. Liz, however, was not so easily convinced. She whistled and gave me the crazy signal, then went back to her book.

As I heard people whispering about me, all I felt like doing was laying my head down on my desk and hiding. So I did.


"Look, I've checked out everything on the cemetery and deaths in the year 1810, just like you told me to," I explained, pacing around my room. "None of it's gonna help unless you can tell me your name."

"I would," he said, "if only I could remember my name."

"Wait, how can you forget your own name?" I asked, confused.

"When you've been deceased as long as I have, you forget details about your life. That's why I am in desperate need of your help."

"But like I said," I started, frustrated, "I've already tried everything I can think of."

"Well, try harder," he spat. "I must find her, and I refuse to leave until I do."

"Look," I growled, "I have a life. I have my own worries, like trying to get a girlfriend and surviving high school, and I don't need you making things more difficult than they already are!"

"Well then," he started, appalled. "I will just have to find a different way in which you will have to listen to me."

Once he finished, my head suddenly felt a little lighter. Somehow, I knew he was gone, but I still checked.

"Uh, you there, creepy ghost voice?" I asked quietly. Nothing.

"Ha ha!" I laughed triumphantly. "And don't come back!"

"Who are you talking to, sweetie?" My mom was standing at my door, looking worried.

Uh-oh. "I…uh…was just doing a skit for English class," I lied with a nervous smile.

"Oh, okay," she said, still concerned. "Well, dinner's almost ready."

Once she was gone, I sighed with relief, falling backward onto my bed.


The next morning at school, I was so happy to have my head back to myself, that any thought of my predicament with Sarah didn't even bring me down. I didn't even try to hide my enthusiasm form Rory.

"Hey, Rory," I said, practically skipping up to him. "Great day, isn't it?"

"Well, somebody's happy," he said, stuffing books into his backpack.

"I sure am," I said gleefully. "Got rid of a supernatural nuisance all on my own. Nothing's gonna bring me down today."

"Alright!" he exclaimed, giving me a high five. "That's awesome. You know, I think there might be something going on in my house. If you wanted to come over and check it out, I could- Whoa! Is that Benny?"

I turned around to see what he was talking about, and saw the weirdest, most unnatural think I'd ever seen in my life.

It was Benny, sort of. He was wearing an old-fashioned suit with a bow tie, carrying a briefcase. He had his hair slicked back and was checking a pocket watch. It was all I could do not to laugh as he walked towards us.

"Hey, Benny," Rory said through muffled laughter. "I…like what you've done with yourself."

"Yeah, what happened?" I asked, unable to keep a straight face any longer. "Did you lose a bet with the chess club again?"

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean, young lad," Benny said pretentiously.

My smile disappeared. "Wait, what?"

"I told you I would find another way in which you had to listen to me," he said deviously.