Chapter 3

Martin yawned with boredom as he scrolled through the legendex. Weird. He couldn't find any life history on their little ghost anywhere in the school files or in any of the twenty something books about hauntings and ghosts they had brought up from library. He had figured something would be in there about her. Every ghost sighting in the world was in at least one of the books.

"I think Java had the right idea," he muttered in frustration. "Going to bed seems like a pretty good idea to me."

"What? You can't go to bed yet!"

He turned in his seat to see Diana on the bed, blankets over her head. He hadn't seen her this terrified since last year, when he hid underneath her bed knowing her and Jenny had just finished watching "The Grudge". He had waited until she was settled in it, ready for a peaceful night of sweet dreams before he shook it. Man, the look on her face when she blasted out of the room! She bunked with Jenny for over a week after that. Of course when she found out it was him who did it, it kinda lost it's humor and he ended up being slapped past Pluto.

"Come on, D." He stood up and stretched, feeling every bone in his body pop. "I can't play ghostbusters on lack of sleep. Besides, she's already made her visit and she hasn't shown up yet, so it's doubtful that she will again. Now tomorrow might be a different story." He snickered quietly to himself.

"What if she does?" Diana squeaked from under the blankets. "What if you go to sleep and she appears on the ceiling again?"

"Ceilings? Yeah, right," he chuckled with a shake of his head. "You sound like you need more sleep than I do."

"It's not funny, Martin. She did walk on the ceiling."

"Yeah, sure she did." He jumped on the bed beside her, rolling on his side and snuggling with the pillow. "I'll be right here, Di. If she comes, I'll know."

"If she comes, you'll be out like a light, sucking your thumb like the baby you are." She let out a gasp when he pulled the blankets off of her. "I need those!"

"Go to sleep already," he slurred out sleepily. "You'll feel better in the morning and then we can search for our ghost friend."

"I don't think I want to find her again." But she was exhausted and maybe with Martin here, everything would be okay. Natalie did leave when he showed up. "Hey, Martin? How did you know to find me?"

"You called for me," he replied, almost asleep, letting his hand hang off the side of the bed. "And I do not suck my thumb."

She smiled warmly at him. How sweet! So he did listen... sometimes. That made her feel a little better. No matter how much they argued and fought, he'd always be there for her. That's was actually a reassuring fact that she let play over her head as she slid under the blankets at his feet. Her second worry was that he'd kick her in the face sometime during the rest of the night.

As soon as she closed her eyes, she was almost instantly asleep without another thought.

2:00 A.M. The small light coming from the desk lamp flickered on and off before finally cutting off completely. Darkness enveloped the room once again. Lightning flashes briefly illuminated Martin, who was almost completely off the bed, and Diana, sleeping on her back, her head facing the wall.

"Diana..."

The ghostly version of Natalie appeared over the bed and directly above Diana. Natalie lowered herself down, floating slowly, arms outreached.

Martin moved, removing himself from the edge of the bed to a position on his back, his right arm falling on Diana's ankles. Natalie looked over at him, turning to float just inches from his face. She stared intensely at him almost as if trying to figure him out.

"Jack?" She got closer. "Jack!" Her skeleton hand caressed his face tenderly. "Jack. It's almost time, my love. Soon, we'll be together forever."

"Diana, keep it down! I'm trying to sleep here!" His eyes were still closed, using his feet to nudge her shoulder.

"Stop it, Martin!" She kicked him back. "I'm not doing anything!"

Natalie growled, glancing between the two before getting back to Diana. Diana's eyes opened wide. That smell. That was the same smell in her room earlier when--

"Uh oh..." Diana whimpered, turning her head slowly to look Natalie in the face. "Uh, Martin?"

Natalie looked back at him, pressing a hand on Diana's neck. She cackled, lowering herself into Diana's body, disappearing completely. Diana's eyes closed and she went limp. The desk lamp came back on and the darkness ended.

Suddenly, she sat straight up, gasping for air. When she finally got all the air she needed, she sighed, pushing a hand through her hair with a smile on her face.

"You okay, Di?" Martin asked, propping himself up on his elbows as he looked at he sleepily. "You look a little pale."

Her smiled widened and she quickly crawled up to him, placing her arms around his neck tightly. This was odd. Diana wasn't one to show him much affection yet she was hugging him and actually smiling at the same time? Definitely odd.

"Uh, are you feeling alright? You're kinda scaring me."

She backed away slowly, never taking her eyes off his face. Her hand came up to rest on his cheek, gazing at him adoringly. It was official. She was totally freaking him out right now.

"You're really starting to freak me out, Di," Martin chuckled softly, scratching the back of his neck in nervousness. He looked back at her in confusion. "I really think you need to—"

Before he could even react to what was going on, she pressed her lips to his. If his eyes could pop out, they would've. No way. He had to be dreaming this. But her hand on his chest, pushing him down on the bed told him that this was no dream. His step sister had completely lost her sanity and any minute now she was going to regain it and crush him into oblivion for kissing her back. Nah, he'd just remind her that she was the one on top of him.

He wrapped his arms around her, feeling the heat from her mouth as her tongue invaded his own mouth. Her soft, yet slightly cold, hand slid underneath his shirt, pulling it up as she explored every inch of his chest and stomach, torturing him with her fingertips.

"Diana...wait," he said breathlessly, in-between her kisses. He was telling her to wait? Ha! He was the one pulling her closer! Still, it was obvious she wasn't thinking clearly. He had to be the logical one. "Diana, come on, stop."

He wasn't so sure he wanted her to stop though. If felt incredibly right, even though they are step siblings. There was no blood connecting them together, they had different parents... Parents. Oh would his dad freak out if he ever found out. He'd never hear the end of it. And Diana's mom. Her baby girl doing something like this? Never. This would all be his fault, he knew it. Everyone knows that Diana's a play by the book girl and well, he's never even read the book.

His shirt somehow ended up coming off, he just couldn't remember how. He did know that he had some involvement in it coming off. He didn't care. And he didn't care about what people would think. He couldn't even think. Her warm hands caressing his bare chest, her soft lips devouring his own. Was it getting hot in here or what? His hands slid up under her night shirt, taking in the soft, smooth skin. His. This was all his for the time being.

He rolled her over onto her back, pressing soft, passionate kisses along her neck. Her hands moved to the back of his neck, running her fingers through his hair and along his neck to his back and up again. She was torturing him. He could feel it. She was going to show him what he can't have because he was her step brother then take it away. He was still waiting for the moment when she's going to smack him for having his hands over her breasts, massaging them gently, his lips biting and sucking at her neck. Her right leg wrapped around his waist, pulling him so close to her that not even a piece of paper could get through them. Her body was responding to his like his was responding to hers and nobody was around to stop it.

"Jack..."

He stopped everything he was doing, raising up to look at her. Jack? Did she just call him Jack? No, she couldn't have. She knew who he was. She said his name a second before this all started. He didn't answer her, but he heard her.

"But I'm Martin," he said to her, a mixture of confusion and hurt in his gorgeous brown eyes.

Her eyes opened slightly and she smiled. "I know, Jack. I know."

"Jack?" he repeated, rolling off of her and onto his back beside her. Jack, Jack, Jack. Oooh! He growled to himself trying to place the name. He heard that name before. Jack... Natalie! Natalie's boyfriend's name was-- Oh... ewww! He was making out with a ghost!

"Hold me," she whispered, turning to lay on her side, her arm wrapped around his waist, her head on his shoulder. Her night shirt had come up to sit just above her stomach, her bare legs wrapping around his pants covered ones.

"Natalie," he called out to her, seeing her eyes respond by looking up at him. Great. How was he gonna explain this to Diana? Yeah, hey Di, I met your ghost. Huh? Oh I ended up making out with her. Why you ask? Well, I thought she was you. BAM! Right into oblivion. Bye bye, Martin Mystery.

"Oh, Jack!" Diana, or rather Natalie in Diana's body, raised up with a wide grin. "You remember me! You haven't forgotten me!"

"Uh, actually, I'm not Jack," he smiled cautiously, pulling himself out of her reach.

"Don't be silly, Jack," she laughed, reaching for him. "I think I know my Jack when I see him. Being dead doesn't make me stupid."

"No, no, no. See, I'm Martin." He flashed his center badge, giving her time to read it before putting it back in his pocket. His baby. So what if he slept with it? "Okay? Now, about Diana."

"That's it, isn't it?" she said sadly, lowering her eyes. "That's why you didn't show up that day. It's because of her, isn't it?"

"I don't think you get it, lady."

"I get alright." She raised up, her emerald eyes now black as coal. Martin jumped back against the wall. "That won't stop me though. You belong to me! In seven days, you will be mine once again and you're precious Diana will be no more!"

"If you hurt her, I'll...I'll...I don't know what I'll do, but it won't be nice!" he growled. What could he possibly do to a ghost anyway?

"Seven days, Jack!" she shrieked, her form leaving Diana's body.

Diana fell backwards off the bed and Martin made a dive for it, catching her before she could hit the floor.

"Whew!" he sighed. "That was a close one."

"Seven days, Jack. Seven days..."

"Seven days, Jack," he mocked her, making a face.

He looked up, seeing Natalie's ghostly corpse staring back at him from the ceiling. Good job, Martin. Mock the ghost. Make it even madder. Then, ust as soon as he saw her, she vanished. His wide eyes stared straight up in awe.

"She really does walk on the ceiling," he stated, shocked, picking Diana up without much effort. "Awesome! Now if only I could capture that on film for my movie.."

Watching the ceiling, he laid Diana on the bed, covering her up with the blankets. For a long moment, he simply looked at her, pushing strands of brown hair out of her sleeping face. He sighed, getting up and sitting down at the desk. After what just happened, there was no way he was going back to sleep.

Java whistled as he happily swept the first floor halls of the school, every now and then dancing to the tune he was whistling. He couldn't help it. He loved his job, mostly because it kept him close to his two best friends. He liked it that way.

He stopped, hearing the sound of footsteps echoing down the hallway. Nervously, he glanced around, holding his broomstick in a defensive position. The footsteps continued, getting closer.

"Hello?" he called out, his tone a bit shaky. "Anyone there?"

No answer and the footsteps were still coming. A shadow rounded the corner and Java instinctively swung the broom, causing the shadow to duck.

"Whoa, Java!" Martin grimaced, barely missing the stick that was about to clash with his head. "Working on your Kung Fu skills?"

"Sorry, Martin. Building spooky."

"I know what you mean," Martin shuddered. "Even in the daylight it feels like the Amityville house."

"Amityville house?" Java inquired, placing the broom back on the floor, scratching his head in confusion.

"Huh? Oh, nothing, Jav."

"Diana?"

"With Jenny, probably catching up on her girlie gossip," he said with a roll of his eyes, patting Java on the back. "Keep an eye on her for me for a bit, huh? Just don't let her know. She'll go all spastic about not needing protecting."

"Where Martin going to be?" Java asked as Martin walked off.

"First, Martin's gonna take a nap," he said, his voice fading the further away he got. "Then, Martin's going to see what he can dig up on Jack Mitchell." He walked up the stairs, getting halfway up before turning back around. "And Martin's definitely not sleeping up there. I may be crazy, but I'm not that stupid."

Okay, guys, let me know what you think of the story so far. Pretty please:D