I walked back downstairs and saw my mom cooking. She placed something into the oven. "Lily! Dinner will be ready in a moment!" She happily assured me. I don't care if it was my favorite food, I'm not eating anything that had been in that oven.

"Um...Actually mom...I'm going to eat with my friend..." I mumbled.

"You already made a friend?! That's wonderful!"

I honestly am not a people person and I really didn't want to talk to someone, but if it gets me out of eating what ever dirt, dust, and rust that may end up in my mom's food, I'll talk to people. I waved my mom good-bye and left the house. I walked in the opposite direction of the house, once again passing by the old man's house. He kept mumbling the same thing over and over. "New...girl...house...why...dead..." I decided it was a good idea to keep walking.

I eventually reached an area where the dirt turned into a road. Sidewalks stretched down the road. I felt like I had just found gold at the end of a rainbow. I continued walking and eventually found houses. Normal houses. Houses that aren't tiny and old and covered in dirt. Houses with a yard full of grass and children's toys. The same four kids the old man yelled at were playing on the sidewalk. Why didn't we move here? Why did they pick that old house when there's tons of normal houses here?

I continued walking, marveling in the houses. I ran into a group of kids without even realizing it. I fell down on my butt and looked up at the trio of boys. "Watch where you're going!" One boy yelled.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention." I muttered. I stood up and dusted off my clothes with my hands.

"Eww...Look at how dirty she is..." Another boy muttered. I looked at my clothes and realized they now had a small layer of dirt. "She looks like a rat!" The boy yelled with a smile. The other boys laughed. "Rat girl! Rat girl!" They cheered. I crossed my arms and rolled my eyes, annoyed by how immature they were.

"Leave her alone..." A weak voice commanded. I turned around and saw another boy. He looked like he was about my age. His voice was quiet-almost a whisper. His blue hair covered his eyes, only showing off his trembling lips. The boys looked at him and smiled.

"Why? You think you can be a hero? You think you can pick up another girl?" The blue-haired boy remained quiet. "Listen, buddy. You might have been a hero and a ladykiller before, but around here, the past doesn't matter."

"You should go..." I mumbled to the blue-haired boy. His lips stopped trembling. I knew he wasn't leaving. I could tell by the way his hands curled into fists.

The boys let out a laugh. "Listen to Rat Girl and get out of here." The boys commanded. A thick silence filled the air as if time had stopped. The blue-haired boy took a step toward the trio. I moved in front of him, trying to prevent anyone from getting hurt. "Hahaha! Look at him! He's still trying!" He took another step, now a simple footstep away from where I was standing. "Your girlfriend wants you to leave! Listen to her!" The boys continued. I turned my head, glared at them for a second and moved out of the blue-haired boy's way as he took another step. The boys trembled. "Y-You don't scare us!" He took another step. The boys hugged each other in fear. He stepped closer. "Alright alright! We'll scram!" One boy yelled. The boys scattered in different directions.

The mysterious boy started walking off. I watched as he placed his hands in his pockets and slowly started disappearing from my sight. "Hey! Wait!" I screamed a the boy. He stopped walking and twisted his body a bit to look at me. I ran up to him and smiled. "Thanks for helping me out."

He used his hand and swept his hair from his face in one swift motion. His eyes looked like they were at one time blue, but are now loosing their color. He had a bland expression on his face, like absolutely nothing happened. "No problem." He simply replied, continuing to walk. I walked beside him. I didn't feel like leaving his side yet. There was something strange about him.

"My name is Lily. I just moved here with my family." I tried to make conversation with him. "We live down that way." I pointed toward the house planted in the middle of nowhere. "The house is old and disgusting, so I came over here. My family thinks it actually looks good. I think they're crazy."

He stopped walking. "You moved into the old neighborhood?" He asked.

"Yeah! You know about it?"

He nodded. "...and you think it looks horrible?" He continued.

I nodded, a bit worried now. "Why?"

"You're a human, right?" He asked. I tilted my head.

"...Yeah..." I mumbled. "Why?" I repeated. He turned to face me and touched my arm. His skin was cold and made me jump.

"I can touch you..." He muttered. He walked around me in a circle. "You can see me perfectly?" He asked. I nodded. He looked at my dirty face in thought."I wonder..." He mumbled.

"Wonder wha-" I was interrupted by the boy's lips. My eyes widened. I tried to back away, but he had his hands on my back. He back off after what seemed like hours and looked at me with the same emotionless face. This guy is the calmest guy in the world. "Dude! What was that for?!" I asked, out of breath.

"Hm..." He hummed in thought. I think he was ignoring me. "You hungry?" He asked. This guy is the strangest person I have ever met. I didn't even know his name yet. "My friend can cook amazing food."

"Uh..." I wanted to say no, I really did. I wanted to run back home. Then I remembered the oven, the dust-filled air, the dirt cover walls, and the food I'd be eating if I went back. Eating with this weird guy is better than being in that house. "...Sure." I reluctantly replied. He grabbed my wrist and walked inside a house.

The house was huge and beautiful. Clean, white walls separated the living room from the kitchen and the dinning room. A big TV sat in the living room, just begging to be turned on. "You should get cleaned up." The blue haired boy commented. "I'll take your shoes and clothes and show you the bathroom." He simply stated.

"M-My clothes?!" I repeated.

"You aren't taking a shower with them on, are you?" He asked.

"N-No...but...Can I wash them myself?" I pleaded.

"Sure." He replied in a happy tone. I took off my shoes and handed them to him. He set them outside and held out his hand. "My name is Minato Arisato, by the way." He finally introduced himself.

"You're so weird..." I muttered, taking Minato's hand. He lead me up the stairs.

"You're the one who came into a stranger's house." He commented. I had to admit, he was right. If he knew what that house was like though, he would've done the same thing. He opened a door, leading to a small bathroom. I walked inside the room and looked at him.

"...There isn't a camera or something in here, is there?" I asked, now suspicious of the stranger.

"Of course not. Why would you even think that?" He asked.

"No reason." I replied. "Now please go." I begged. He nodded and walked off. I heard his footsteps go downstairs. I looked into the mirror and saw my face, smothered in dirt. My hair had clumps of mud in it and I was sure I'd take a while to get it all out. No wonder the boys called me "Rat Girl". I took my shower and tried to clean myself until I ran out of hot water. I grabbed a towel and wrapped myself in it, looking at my face again. It was clean, but was now slightly pink due to all the hot water I used. I heard a loud yell from downstairs.

"Dammit! I forgot the vinegar!" A loud voice yelled angrily. I knew that voice didn't belong to Minato. It was too deep. As I wondered who that was, I heard a knock on the door. I opened it a crack and hid my body behind the door.

"Dinner is ready." Minato's familiar voice announced. Yep. That other voice definitely wasn't him.

"Okay." I replied. I shut the door and glared at my pile of dirty clothes. I put them back on, not wanting to run out there and eat with just a towel on. I walked back downstairs and into the dinning room where Minato and a man with a beanie were already eating. The other man looked older than Minato and me. He also looked meaner than Minato.

"Hey, Lily. Why don't you take a seat?" Minato offered. I sat down and fixed myself a plate. "This is Shinjiro Aragaki. He's the one who cooks around here." He introduced. Shinjiro stayed quiet and continued eating. "He's a little grumpy."

"Hello Shinjiro. The food is good." I complimented.

"Whatever." He mumbled. A moment of silence filled the room as we ate.

"Minato, what was up with all the questions and stuff earlier?" I asked. It had been nagging me for a long time and I just had to know.

"Well, normally, people can't see ghosts clearly and we can't touch them without fazing through them, but you can see us perfectly fine and I could grab your wrist and touch your arm." Minato explained bluntly.

"Ghosts?! You guys are ghosts?!" I asked.

"Yeah. You couldn't tell?" He asked. "I thought you knew."

"No!" I replied. "Is everyone around here a ghost?!" I asked.

"Yeah. You should meet George Washington-"

"George Washington is here too?!"

"Of course. This is where all ghosts go. You seriously couldn't tell it was a neighborhood of ghosts?" He asked.

"So this...this is like heaven?" I asked, ignoring his question.

"Yep."

"So a neighborhood full of ghosts...is heaven?" I asked, calming down a bit.

"Yep." Minato nodded. "Where did you say you were from again?" He asked.

"I moved here from a regular neighborhood to a house next to this crazy old guy down that way." I pointed out the window, down the road to the middle of nowhere. Minato and Shinjiro's eyes followed my finger down the road. Their eyes widened. "What?" I asked.

"You don't happen to have family living there, would you?" Shinjiro asked.

"Yeah...My baby sister, mom, dad, and older sister..." I mumbled.

"...I think you should go home."