"Are you sure you don't want to come with me, Samantha?" Mother asked as she bounced around the house, searching frantically for her keys. They were in the large purse she had dangling from her arm, but I wasn't about to tell her that yet.
"No." I shook my head. "It's much too early for me to be going anywhere."
It was four o'clock in the morning. I wouldn't even be awake if it hadn't been for mother being so loud. She was worse than a parade of elephants barreling around the house.
"All right, if you're sure. Once your father arrives we'll be back as soon as possible."
I nodded, not paying close attention. I was sluggishly propping myself up on the kitchen counter, wondering if I could just fall back in bed or if I would have to make myself a cup of coffee.
"Argh!" Mother yelped, slapping her leather gloves down onto the counter next to me. I jumped from the unexpected noise.
"What?" I was retreating back to my bedroom, shuffling my feet inside of my fluffy slippers.
"My keys!"
"Check your purse," I advised, stumbling to the stair railing and propelling myself up the steps.
"Oh good! Found them," Mother sang. "We should be back in a couple of hours at most."
"Okay." I agreed, already upstairs. I heard the far off click of the front door closing before shutting my own door. I closed my eyes, tripped toward my bed, and fell on something that was definitely not my mattress.
Groaning, I dragged my eyes open. Phantom was peering back at me.
"Hi," he grinned.
"Shut up." I told him, curling away from his cold body and burrowing under the warmth of my blanket. "Sleep."
"All right, I'll go."
I rolled my eyes, grabbed his hands and fluffed my comforter over him as well. He settled his arms around my waist, bringing my body as close to his as possible.
"Sleep," I commanded him, not intentionally sounding mean. I was just exhausted.
"I love you," he told me, kissing my temple.
I pulled his hand into mine, squeezing my eyes shut, not knowing what to say.
(-.-)
I woke only a few short hours later at eight o'clock. I fully expected Mother and Dad to be back yet, but when I pulled my blinking phone toward me I received the news that Dad wasn't even in Amity yet. His plane had been delayed by a freak snow storm in New Orleans.
Mother: For all of the days to snow in New Orleans! I will wait a little while longer to see if his status changes. I will text you any updates.
Me: Take your time. Everything is fine here.
I placed my phone back on my bedside table. I flipped over to face Phantom.
He smiled widely. "Hey, beautiful."
"I missed you last night," I confessed, dancing my fingers up and down his suit, tracing his chest muscles underneath.
"Sorry," Phantom apologized. "I just needed to take care of a few things."
"A few things like what?" I prodded. "Were you out fighting all night?"
"I told you – ghosts get stirred up around human holidays." Phantom shrugged, the sheets rustling against the motion. "I think they miss being human."
"Do you miss being human?" I asked. My thoughts from last night – the inconsistencies of Phantom – came flooding back to me. I couldn't not talk about it. I loathed questioning him but I had to quench my curiousity.
"Where did that come from?" Phantom, who had been leaning into my touch, suddenly pulled away. He sat up slightly, balancing himself on his elbow.
"I'm just asking. You always talk about ghosts and humans like you're neither."
Phantom studied my face. "I remember my human life so well for a ghost. It makes me feel different from the rest of them. And they're so destructive, they aren't human in the least, but I want to be. On the flip side of that, no, I'm not human and it would be unfair of me to pretend. I don't identify with either because I want to be human, but I'm not."
I rubbed my feet against one another, biting on my lip. "Why do you remember better than the other ghosts?"
"Because I try? Most of the ghosts that come out of the ghost portal never knew Amity when they were alive. I'm constantly being stimulated by the people I knew in life, by the places I knew. I remember because it almost feels as though I never left."
"But you did leave." I pointed out. "And there has to be so much that has changed since you died, what, three years ago?"
"Three years." He confirmed with a nod. "And yes, a lot has changed. I've had to let go of a lot of people who are still living because I can't talk to them –"
"Stop," I whispered, and I didn't even realize I said anything until Phantom obeyed me. "I know you're lying to me."
"Lying to you?" Phantom bolted upright. "Lying to you?"
"Yes." I sat up as well, crossing my arms against my chest. "I don't want to fight about it but I need to have a conversation about it."
"Fine," Phantom spat, mimicking my pose. He was obviously upset; his muscles were tight, he was fidgeting, and his facial expression was angry and broken at the same time. "How in the hell am I lying to you?"
"Your story doesn't add up-"
"My story? It's not like I'm feeding you lines, Sam. It's not like I'm a character in book whose backstory the author has forgotten! I'm a person. I've told you what I've felt and who I am."
"But it doesn't make sense! No one knows about you. No one has heard of your death. I just … there are inconsistencies, Phantom. And I don't know what to think of it. I want to trust you, I want to be able to believe everything you say, but I can't."
"What kind of inconsistencies?" Phantom demanded.
"If you died at seventeen, three years ago, how come no one knows about you? Your parents are well known in the community so your death would have been publicized, especially in a small town. And don't tell me that you aren't from Amity because Jazz told me that she's always been here so you would have been here to die. And while we're on the topic, why would it take you so long to just give me your name, Jack?"
Phantom flinched. "I don't even know how to respond to this. I feel like I'm being attacked."
"I'm not attacking you. But I need answers. I need an explanation."
"Because you don't trust me."
"I trust you. I trust you enough to know there's a good explanation for this and that it's not just you flat out lying to me. So, why are you avoiding the subject?"
"I'm not avoiding the subject. The truth is that I didn't tell you the whole truth –"
I snorted. "Obviously."
Sometimes I couldn't stop myself from being a total brat.
"I haven't been dead three years. I've just been in Amity for three years. And I stay human because I obsess and rerun the memories I have from my life. I didn't tell you the whole thing because I liked you from the moment I saw you and getting you to talk to me would be hard enough knowing that I was dead. Let alone knowing that I've been dead for decades!"
"Decades?" I repeated, brow creasing.
"Yes, decades."
"So you aren't Fenton's brother?" I said, pointing out another one of his lies.
"No. I am his father's cousin, who died years before Fenton was born – before his mother and father even met."
I closed my eyes tightly, feeling my face scrunch. I dug my fingers into my sides and attempted to think. "You promise that it's the truth?" I asked. "You primrose that it's not a lie this time?"
"I promise. You won't find another lie."
I opened my eyes, looking at him. I studied every line of the face that I knew so well, the body that lay against mine. I looked into the eyes of the boy I cared about so much – the boy who said he loved me. I tipped forward so that I was holding him, and he held me in return.
"I'm sorry I lied to you," he stuttered into my ear. "I didn't think, at the beginning, that you would like me if I told you the truth. I should have known better, I really should have."
"Just, tell me the truth from now on? If you have anything else to tell me, tell me now Phantom."
"There's nothing Sam. That was it. I'm sorry it took you investigating on your own in order for me to be honest."
"It's okay." I ran my hand through his white hair.
"I love you," he said.
In response, I kissed him.
(-.-)
"How curious," Phantom mused, stopping at the top of the steps. "I've never seen the rest of your house before."
"Well I have to start making some lunch for my parents and myself, so if you want to continue talking to me you're going to have to come downstairs."
I began to descend, knowing that he was still stationary with his hand resting on the banister.
"But if feels weird," Phantom protested.
"It's stairs." I said, turning the corner into the kitchen. "They won't bite."
I began rummaging around the kitchen for the ingredients for vegetarian lasagna.
"Sam," Phantom called, his voice echoing. He was still at the top of the stairs.
I giggled. "My parents will be back in about half an hour. You can leave now if you want."
There was no response at all. Yet, when I turned around, Phantom was hovering above the tile floor of the kitchen, struggling to take in everything.
"This is a fridge," I said, pointing to the object he had fixated on. "I thought you were from this century."
"I am." Phantom sighed. "Your house is just so big and expensive looking."
"Not as bad as some. You should see Paullina Sanchez's mansion. My house could easily fit in there at least twice."
Phantom ignored my comment, gently lowering himself to the floor, onto his own two feet. "What're you making?"
"Vegetarian lasagna."
"You are missing an important food group." Phantom sighed, taking over the cutting of the vegetables without me even asking him too.
"I don't think I'm missing anything at all," I told him, opening the lasagna noodles.
"All right, all right," Phantom shook his head. "I won't argue with you. But if I actually ate and you tried to feed me something meatless I would probably throw a tantrum."
"I bet you were cute as a child," I said, taking the vegetables from him.
"Some might say I hit my peak at seventeen," Phantom commented suggestively.
"And who would say such a thing?" I asked, preheating the oven. I always forgot to heat the oven.
"Oh you know, some people," Phantom came up behind me, placing his lips to my neck. I erupted with goose bumps.
"Is there someone I should be jealous of?" I asked.
"Hmmm, I've got fan girls all over the place," Phantom informed me.
"Fan boys too," I added, thinking of Jackson. "I know one that's in love with you."
"Pretty sure Paullina Sanchez is female … and has a boyfriend."
"You remember Jackson and Tara?"
"You mentioned them – is he someone I should be jealous over?"
"He's someone that I should be jealous over. He likes you."
I felt Phantom draw away from me a little. "That's awkward."
"How is it awkward? It's a person with feelings for you, same as Paullina."
"That situation is even more awkward," he snorted. "It's not because it's a boy having feelings for me. It's because I'm in love with a girl who he's friends with."
"Not that anyone knows about us," I added.
"No," Phantom agreed, his voice sad. "How could they?"
Just to get the poll straightened out with some readers: you cannot vote through reviewing. You must go to my profile, click 'vote now' at the top of my page and choose one option. You only get to vote once. The poll closes when this story is over. The choice with the most votes at that point of time will be the winner. At this point in time, Danny's companion story is winning with 53% of the votes.
Thank you to my beta foreversky. I don't own anything recognizable. Thanks for reading!
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