Author's Note: This chapter is going to include yet another OC of mine! A very clumsy yet very lovable and charismatic ghost! And I think I need to put up a warning for this chapter, for I am unfathomably bored. So here it is:

WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SCENES OF INSANITY AND RANDOM-NESS. MAY CAUSE ONE, SOME OR ALL OF THE FOLLOWING:
MUSCLE/EYE TWITCHING
UNCONTROLLABLE LAUGHTER
PROJECTILE VOMITING
DEATH BY PAPER CUTS
BAD DIARRHEA

My writing almost always reflects my mood. Boredom leads to insane random-ness. So, on that note, read and enjoy! Or my shadow minions will get you... (insert evil creepy smile here)

XXX

Something is glowing in the distance. A pale white light, pounding in rhythm.

I open my eyes. A pair of eyes is staring at me. His eyes are black and lifeless.

"Are you okay, miss?" he asks, but I'm too fazed to answer.

He asks again. When I don't respond, he pinches me.

And I open my eyes. For real this time. So I was dreaming, I thought. What was that all about?

I stood up and looked around. Nothing looked familiar. Stalagtites hung from the ceiling, dripping pink-tinged water. Cute little yellow spiders with black stripes crawled around everywhere. Luke would love this place, I thought.

Then, as if on cue, an earth-shattering shriek broke the silence. "SPIDERS! BEAUTIFUL MIRACLES OF THE WORLD!" Luke screamed. I jumped a foot in the air.

"You scared me to death, you idiot!" I yelled at him.

"Oh, come on!" he retorted. "You knew that was gonna happen! If you are the protagonist of a comedy story and think of something, it's gonna happen! For example, if you thought a cliff was gonna fall on you, it would!

Then, as if on cue, a cliff fell on him. I did a face-palm.

After a second, his head popped out from under all the rocks. A goofy grin was plastered on his face. I rolled my eyes and looked around some more.

Vaughn, Sylvester, and Zombie Carl were all standing in a group, talking about something, though I couldn't hear exactly what. Skye was sitting in a corner with his knees pulled up to his chest, shivering in fear. And Gill was on the floor, totally blacked out.

Carl spotted me and waved his hand, signaling that I should walk over to him.

I got up and walked to the group rather dizzily.

"Julie! Zombie Carl says he knows someone who can help us!" Vaughn said.

"Yes, but we will have to go dowsing for him," Carl explained. I asked what dowsing was.

"Dowsing is when you take two L-shaped sticks and walk around with them," Sylvester explained. "They cross when they find something, like water or minerals."

"Or ghosts!" Luke cut in. "Which is what we're gonna be dowsing for!"

Skye, who was still sitting in a corner, shuddered. "I just know something bad's gonna happen," he said.

Then, as if on cue (I think you're getting this by now, audience), a wall caved in, revealing very pale lights, just like in my dream.

"How could this get worse?" Skye asked himself.

Then, (say it with me, everyone)AS IF ON CUE (I hope you've got it by now), water poured down from the ceiling. I looked up. Luke was hanging from the ceiling on spider's thread with a huge bucket of water.

"Luke! I am soaked!" I screeched. Luke grinned in his goofy way.

"You're lucky! I dumped soda on Gill once!" he said.

"I am never going to forgive you for that, Luke!" Gill, who had somehow woken up from his spider-induced coma, hollered. "My poor buttocks chafed for hours!"

Sylvester cleared his throat. "If that is all, may I continue?" We were quiet. "Good. And Luke assumed correctly. We are going to be dowsing for a spirit."

Carl held up two L-shaped sticks and handed them to Vaughn, who began walking slowly around the cave. I trailed behind him. Luke trailed behind me. Gill trailed behind him. And Skye trailed behind him.

Suddenly, Vaughn stopped walking, causing us all to bump into each other.

He asked the dowsers, "Is this where the spirit is?"

The sticks crossed. A pale white mist settled over the ground. Then a body came up from the ground. A white, transparent body. A ghost.

Most people would think a ghost was just a white blanket with black eyes, but this ghost looked just like a human, except he was transparent with black, lifeless eyes. Just like the ones from my dream.

"Hey, Artichoke!" Zombie Carl greeted the ghost. "Long time, no see!" They did some kind of handshake.

"Your name is Artichoke?" Skye asked.

The ghost chuckled. "My name is Logan, actually," he said. "But I was dubbed Artichoke by the Spirit Council." He turned to Carl. "So what, pray tell, do you need me for?"

"See, these nice folks accidentally got into this world," Carl explained, gesturing to me, Vaughn, and Skye. "And they need to know how to get out."

Artichoke nodded in understandment. A scroll appeared in his hand. He opened it up and began to read it.

"Journey due North past this land

Until a faraway island is close at hand.

When you're alone, but not alone

You will find help and an arch of stone.

There's only one way 'cross the island's north beach:

The Otherworld's..."

He stopped reading. "No, that can't be right..." he mumbled.

Skye grabbed the scroll from Artichoke and read it.

"There's only one way 'cross the island's north beach:

The OtherWorld Council is what you must reach.

Then beg from the Council the map of this land

To get to the portal in a place full of sand.

But hurry and get there quickly, you must

For the portal closes tomorrow at dusk."

Vaughn checked his watch. "It's mornin' right now. So we only got two days before that portal closes."

"Which will be extremely hard," Artichoke added grimly. "The OtherWorld Council is very stubborn."

"What's the OtherWorld?" Skye asked.

"This world," Artichoke replied. "But there's no time for questions, we have to get moving!"

"But I'm still drenched!" I complained, shooting a glare at Luke.

"Madame Natalie will provide you with clean clothes," Sylvester said, ushering us out of the cave door, with Luke, Gill, and Artichoke following behind us.

At Madame Natalie's Mansion...

"Oh, dear, Juliet, you're soaked!" Madame Natalie exclaimed when she saw me. She took me into her dressing room, with a large closet with lots of clothes. She told me to pick out an outfit that I liked, then she left.

I looked through the closet. Some of the clothes were brand-new. Why would she have so many unused clothes? I wondered, but brushed the thought away.

I finally decided on a long-sleeved raspberry-colored shirt and blue boot-cut jeans.

When Madame Natalie came in, she helped me comb the wet gnarls out of my hair.

Then me and Madame Natalie left the dressing room into the foyer. Vaughn tipped his hat down when he saw me.

"So are we ready to go?" Artichoke asked. I nodded determinedly and we were on our way.

XXX

Author's Note: IT'S FINALLY DONE! THE TENTH CHAPTER IS DONE! I am so proud of myself for keeping with this story for ten whole chapters! And I must thank Anime Girl 593 and QueenoftheCatz for reviewing! Seriously, I might have given up on the story long before this if not for their reviews! And thanks to everyone who reads the story!

In the next few chapters, I might start adding in romance. Maybe. I'm not too good with that kind of thing. Whoever thinks I should add romance, say Aye!

~Arista