Chapter One

A quiet, slightly chilly but otherwise normal October day could have sunk into the back of everyone's minds, melting together like the other insignificant days of the year, had Alix not opened her mouth. The moment the teacher left the room to make copies and refill her coffee the students began to converse with one another, a wicked smile appeared on Alix's face, a mischievous glint in her eyes. She spoke up to address the class. "So, have you guys heard the story of the ghost that haunts this school?" The forgetfulness that would have otherwise possessed the day evaporated in that moment, for whether one believed in ghosts or not, there would always be something nagging the back of their mind.

"Please, there's no such thing as ghosts," Chloe smirked, glancing at the small girl, but went and joined the rest of the class to hear the legend.

Marinette let out a breath and looked at the empty seat next to her. Desperately she wished Alya was here, giving her some sense of sanity. She had never been a fan of ghost stories, but seeing Adrien's intrigue at the subject she decided to follow suit, giving him a small smile as she joined the rest of her peers, him moving over slightly to give her room to stand, returning her smile with one of his own. Marinette felt like she could melt.

"So this story isn't just a legend. My dad actually went here when this happened." Alix looked around at her classmates, smiling as Rose and Mylene were already clinging to Juleka and Ivan respectively. "There was this girl who went here and fell in love with a guy. Like she was obsessed with him. He consumed her every thought, there were doodles of hearts all over her notebook, she would put her first name with his last name, you know, typical girly shit. Well, one day she asked him out for a study date and he agreed, initially, but my dad said he heard he changed his mind and turned her down. She was heartbroken and threw herself off the roof. There used to be unrestricted access to the school roof, there was a garden and everything, but after she killed herself the school closed it off."

"So a girl jumps off a building and the school closes the roof, big deal." Chloe pulled out her makeup bag and started applying a layer of lip gloss to her too shiny, slightly sticky, lips, giving Adrien a glance as she did so.

"I- I don't know. That sounds really tragic. She must have really loved him if she was so heartbroken she killed herself." Rose was starting to pale in color, only being reassured by the small circles her friend rubbed between her shoulder blades in an attempt to calm her.

"Well, after the jumped off they buried her in a really fancy cemetery, but her soul never left. It's said her ghost still haunts the school." Alix looked at the guys in turn, "After she died she decided she was going to get her love, one way or another. The guy graduated and went off to some fancy college and got married, but that hasn't stopped her. Each year she chooses a guy and leads him to the roof of the school and tries to push them off so they'll stay with her. My brother said she chose one of his friends when he went here. The only reason he wasn't pushed off was because my brother snapped him out of it and dragged him off the roof and brought him downstairs." Alix gave each of the guys a once over. Ivan was too devoted to Mylene to be dragged away by some wandering spirit. Max was too smart to let some legend drag him away. Kim was too dumb, and had a secret fear of heights. He wasn't going to find himself on the roof anytime soon. Nathanel, Adrien and Nino, though... single males in the class with no formal attachments to anyone. Just fleeting crushes. Each smart in their own way but nice enough to fall for a ghost girl's act. "I wonder who she's going to choose from our class?"

When class ended Marinette watched everyone as she gathered her belongings, the ghost story playing on repeat in her mind. Why did he change his mind? What happened in those moments that caused him to abandon his commitments to her? She let out a sigh. It wasn't fair that the girl had to wander the halls of the school for eternity, lonely, just because she suffered from a broken heart. Was he able to sleep at night? Did he know he was the reason she died? Her thoughts fell away from her when she felt a tap on her shoulder. The classroom was empty except for her and the person who tapped her. "Hey, Marinette. You were quiet during the story today. Did it scare you?"

She shook her head rapidly. "M-me? Scared? N-no. I wasn't scared. I mean you were there after all. I could never be scared where you're here. I- I mean you make me feel safe, not that I need you to be with me all the time- is it hot in here to you?"

He gave her a confused look, trying to piece together what the girl had said before shaking his head and choosing to focus on the words he could strong together. "Actually, it's a bit cool in here." He wrapped his favorite blue scarf around his neck and smiled at her. "Well, if you find yourself afraid of ghosts you can alway come to me."

She couldn't stop herself from looking at him, dumbstruck. "Why?"

"Why?" He picked up her notebooks and passed them to her. "You're my friend, Mari. I care about you." Something wistful and mystical filled his eyes, causing him to smile. He lifted his hand to nervously rub the back of his head. "May-maybe one day we-" a loud ringing interrupted them. He reached into his pocket quickly, pulling out his phone. "Hello?" he asked, immediately mouthing 'sorry' to his companion right after the greeting. "Alright, got it. I'll meet you there." He hung up his phone and placed it back in his pocket. "Sorry, it was my driver. Do you think we can pick this up later, Marinette?"

She nodded, her face bright red. "S-sure, Adrien. I'll morrow you later! I mean I'll you soon see, uh- Bye!"

He let out a small laugh and left the flustered girl sinking to the floor, a bright smile dancing on her face.

Here it is, the first chapter of our Halloween countdown! I hope y'all like ghost stories because that's what we're serving up this holiday! I can't believe how many of y'all are interested in this, it's incredible! Thank y'all so much to those of you who favorited and followed, and a very special thanks to those of you who reviewed. It really means a lot to me and I try to incorporate any notes I get into future chapters. Since I'm updating this story daily for the next couple weeks chapters will be pretty short… but I hope y'all enjoy them anyway! See y'all tomorrow! :)