Ch. 3

I woke up with a start, my heartbeat rapid. When I looked around groggily, I realized that something wasn't quite right..."Agh!" I yelled as I fell onto my mattress. Had I just been floating? What the heck? This was definitely not my best night. Or day, rather, as I could already make out the sunlight filtering through my window. Aw man, was it really daytime already? Groaning, I made myself comfortable again and tried to get back to sleep. Hopefully that stupid dream wouldn't happen again.

Dad woke me up a few hours later and we got back to unpacking everything. The work kept me busy, sure, but my thoughts continuously wandered back to my dream. I was against the whole "dreams can tell the future" thing, but it had seemed almost too real. Like, if I turned to a mirror right then, I'd see that girl glaring back at me. The whole situation made my skin crawl. So absorbed was I in my work of unpacking the DVDs that I almost jumped out of my skin when Dad tapped me on the shoulder. Apparently he'd been trying to talk to me for the last ten minutes. "Um, sorry. What were you saying?" I asked, smiling sheepishly. He shook his head at me and started to open a new box. "I was saying that it would probably be a good idea for you to go and get a good look around town. Maybe meet some people so you won't be completely alone once you start school?" he suggested. Well, I couldn't deny that he had a point. "I guess I could take a stroll later or something," I said with a shrug. Satisfied, he went back to his work and I resumed mine.

An hour later, when the the movies had all been put away, I grabbed my cellphone and headed out the door. "I bid thee farewell, Father!" I said dramatically as I closed the door behind me, cutting off his usual reminder to keep my phone on. Outside of the apartment building, I immediately noticed that it was a lot cooler here than it had been back home. It was almost cool enough for me to wish for a jacket. The difference was enough to give me a pang of homesickness, which I tried to stifle to the best of my abilities. It would be no use to pine after what I couldn't have. Instead, I focused my attention to my new surroundings.

Everything seemed pretty normal to me. Well, I assumed it was all normal. School had let out a bit earlier in the day, so I occasionally saw a pack of teens roaming the streets. I knew my dad wanted me to get out and meet people, but I honestly wasn't too keen on going around and saying hi to every person that was around my age. That would just be weird.

Just as I turned onto a quiet street, a weird chill went up my spine and I shivered. Funny, I hadn't felt a breeze or anything. Then, there was yelling above me. Startled, I looked up and saw the most bizarre thing ever. Two figures were floating in the sky, facing each other. What the hell? One of them, the one who appeared to be wearing some sort of black jumpsuit, looked pretty relaxed, though it was impossible to tell the expression on their face. The other guy, however, was extremely animated. He was yelling something and waving his arms around while boxes flew around him. "I am the Box Ghost! Fear me!" he called, flinging his 'weapons' towards his opponent. I wasn't sure whether to be afraid of the fact that he was a ghost or amused that he chose boxes of all things to strike with. My curiosity drove me closer and I was able to hide in a conveniently placed alley.

"I haven't been afraid of you since, well, ever," the other ghost replied, phasing through the boxes without missing a beat. He sounded younger, and I was able to get a better look at him from my new hideout. Surprisingly, he looked almost my age! His hair was white, and his eyes were such a bright green that even I could see from so far below. The jumpsuit he wore was black with white gloves, boots, collar, and some kind of insignia on his chest. Strange, he didn't have the same blue-tinged skin as his box-orientated counterpart. His actually seemed human like.

At the comment, Box Ghost seemed to falter slightly. "You don't fear me? That will change soon! You and all of the Ghost Zone will learn to beware the awesome power of the Box Ghost!" he yelled into the heavens. While he made his rather dramatic monologue, the ghost kid's hand started to glow. Energy pooled within, and then he shot it at the other ghost, catching him by surprise. "Over my undead body," the ghost kid threatened, though it sounded more exasperated than a real threat.

Two teenagers had appeared around the corner and, oddly enough, were running towards the ghost fight. Wait, why were they fighting, anyways? Could ghosts even get injured? Was this some kind of "Ghost Busters" type deal instead? I returned my attention to the running teens and watched as they stopped under the quarrel. One of them, a girl with a fondness for black clothing, held something shiny up in the hair. Was that a thermos? I highly doubted ghosts would want soup at a time like this. "Danny, you forgot the thermos again!" she yelled with annoyance. The white-haired ghost swooped down, thanked her while he grabbed the container, then flew back up and opened it. Bewildered, I watched as light shot out of it, encase the Box Ghost, then suck him into it. Danny screwed the cap back on and landed back onto the ground lightly. "I don't know why he even tries anymore," he said with a small chuckle. "Hey, even ghosts can have hopes and dreams," said the other teen, another boy with a red beret and glasses.

Wait a second. Those two kids had just witnessed a ghost fight and seemed completely unfazed! They were even chatting like old friends with one of the ghosts! This was all just way too strange. Confused, I watched them talk a bit more before the ghost named Danny grabbed hold of both of them and lifted them into the air. They disappeared in an instant. Even so, I waited a good five minutes before leaving my hiding spot. What the hell did I just watch? I asked myself. Was this some kind of elaborate prank?

Shaking my head with a mixture of shock and confusion, I started on my way home again. After the fight, I really wasn't sure I wanted to see the rest of the town now. Amity Park seemed to be the place where logic went to die. Ghosts fighting ghosts, magical thermoses, and no one but me seemed to find it strange in any way. Maybe I had unknowingly stepped into some "Casper the Friendly Ghost" live-action film set.

I ran a hand through my thick auburn hair, pushing it out of my face. My stomach growled, begging me to at least get some lunch before returning home. Grocery shopping wasn't exactly a priority yet with Dad, so we were sadly lacking in the food department. Deciding it couldn't hurt, I eventually asked for directions to the nearest fast food joint. Following them, I found myself at a place called Nasty Burger. Wow, sounds appetizing alright.

Apparently, it was a very teen-centric place. They were everywhere when I walked in. I wondered just how close the place was to the high school before I dug up the little bit of money I had in my jeans' pocket. Lucky for me it was just enough for a burger and a drink. I got my food and sat down at one of the few empty tables before relaxing back and going over the ghost fight scene in my head. Well, it wasn't much of a fight, really. The Box Ghost hadn't had a chance. I almost felt bad for the dead guy. It must be humiliating to get sucked into a thermos of all things.

While I ate, I let my gaze wander aimlessly. I had no doubt that I would be seeing a lot of these faces on Monday when I went to school. Grimacing slightly at the thought of school, I focused on a particular trio of teens sitting in a booth. I almost choked on my burger when I recognized the goth girl and beret wearing boy from earlier. They were with another boy, one with black hair and blue eyes. He seemed vaguely familiar, but I passed it off with the thought that I had maybe passed him on the street earlier. Seeing them talking together made me wonder if they were recounting the ghost scene. Why should I care? I wondered suddenly. Why was I getting so hung up over this? Maybe the town was haunted and everyone was just comfortable around paranormal people! I really should've done some research prior to coming here. Tearing my over curious stare away from the other teens, I focused on finishing my cheap meal. It was rude to stare, after all.

My morals were askew, apparently. Even after telling myself to stop in case I freaked someone out, I couldn't help but stare at some other people instead. People watching was a bit of a hobby of mine. Well, 'a bit' might be a bit of an understatement. It was kind of compelling, watching people and imagining their life stories as they interacted with each other. Some found it creepy, but I suppose that's understandable. Not everyone liked to have their every action scrutinized by some curious stranger.

The place had emptied out considerably by the time I was finished eating. The curious trio was still there, and I almost went up to them to introduce myself out of sheer curiosity to get to know them, but I stopped myself. Maybe it would just be best if I left them alone and forgot about the whole ghost incident instead. Before I could do anything rash, I exited the burger joint and started home. No doubt Dad would need some more help unpacking. Hopefully he wouldn't pry for details on my walk. With Dad, I wasn't always sure what I could and couldn't tell him. He might laugh at my explanation of the ghost scene and ask if I was feeling alright, or he would worry endlessly and decide that ghosts weren't worth the new job. I decided to keep the whole thing to myself instead of taking the risk. Chances were it would never happen again anyways, right?