Zoe eyed the remains of what had been her lunch; chicken tenders, French fries and the biggest strawberry milkshake she'd ever come across. The chilli flavour from the dip still tingled in her mouth, and the irrational fear that Kyle would decide to kiss her popped to mind.
"Well now," Haley said, licking her fingers before promptly getting to her feet. "I've got some homework to catch up on, so I'll see you guys later."
"Oh, pity," Tanya sighed, and gave Haley a dismissive wave. "See you tomorrow."

Haley blinked, and cleared her throat. "I've got some homework to catch up on. As in, homework that I need to copy from you, brainiac."
"How do you intend to pass this year if you never learn for yourself?" Tanya asked, but got up nonetheless.
"I've got that covered," Haley smirked, and looked at Kyle and Zoe expectantly. "Well? Are you guys staying for dessert or are you coming?"

"You can walk home, Haley. It's not that far." Kyle replied, expertly avoiding the pleading look his sister sent him. "Zoe and I will hang around here for a while longer."
"Oh, fine!" Haley grumbled.
Zoe watched the two girls leave and looked at Kyle shyly.
"Want to go for a walk?" Kyle extended his hand to her, nodding toward the beach.
"Sure."
They kicked off their shoes once outside the diner. The sand felt exactly as Zoe had imagined it would; warm, coarse, and with the sensation came fond childhood memories of frequent beach vacations.

Kyle talked to her about school, which teachers were great and which ones it was best to avoid striking up conversation with. He recounted the victory of their last football match against another local high school, and Zoe shared her own experiences of celebrating victories in different sports.
"Next match we win, you have to come celebrate with me. It will be my turn to host the Victory Party."
"I'd love to come. When is the next match?"
"Not in another couple of weeks. Just before the end of this semester."
"You must be really looking forward to it."
"Yeah, so are the other guys on the team. Enough about football. Would you like me to show you all the popular scenes in town?"
"Sure, let's go."

Sitting next to Kyle with the windows rolled down, the wind blowing through her hair, and soft rock playing across the radio, Zoe felt a distinct emotion stir inside of her. One she wasn't familiar with, and one she couldn't place either. Kyle took her from the local park with its shallow lake to the mall; he showed her a deserted street called Montevideo, which he claimed was the heartbeat of the town when dusk fell and the nightlife scene opened up.

All the while his entertaining narration of the 'hot spots' in town kept Zoe smiling, and she found herself falling harder and harder for him as time wore on. He took her down another street lined with cafes and restaurants, past the historic museum, and finally stopped at the indoors ice rink.
"You won't think it, but if you stand on the roof you get the best view of the sunset. Which will be in another half an hour or so." Kyle said as Zoe blinked up at the flat rooftop of the simple building, the words ICE RINK emblazed into the wall in thick blue letters.

Zoe glanced at Kyle suddenly as reality struck home, and she tensed when she checked the time.
"Oh no! I've got to get home." Zoe said, fighting down a panic attack.
"No problem, I'll take you." Kyle said, starting the engine back up. "Where do you live?"
"Ah, a few miles out of town. It's about a twenty minute drive." Zoe chewed her lip anxiously as they pulled out of the parking lot. "I'm supposed to be home before dinner time. My mom is going to crack a coronary if she gets home and I'm not there."

Kyle chuckled, but his smile disappeared when Zoe looked at him sharply. "Twenty minutes? Which way, south or east?"
"Do you know where Wood Bush Lane is? I think you take the Old Honey Oakes highway to get there." Zoe said, rubbing her forehead worriedly. If Kyle didn't know where it was, she was going to be in big trouble...
"You mean Moon Ridge area? Where all the farms are by that forest outside town?"
"You know where it is?" Zoe said in a rush of relief, leaning her head back when she looked at him gratefully.

"Sure, I've been there with my folks a couple of times, doing the family camping thing." Kyle shrugged, steering the car in the direction of the highway. "You might want to put your seatbelt on, Zoe."
Zoe obeyed quickly, her head throbbing with pressure. If she didn't get home before her parents did... or worse yet, if she got home and Kyle didn't have enough time to disappear before her parents realized she was home...
She was sure she would be a bundle of nerves at the speed Kyle was doing, she'd probably have asked him to slow down, but her heart was racing in anticipation and her head filled with the horrible scenarios she might encounter once she got home. She didn't care how fast they were going, just as long as she wasn't late...

"My mom is up in those hills, actually. She's gone on a hunting trip with Jess and his dad. It's a quarterly thing they do." Kyle was saying.
"Oh? So why didn't you guys go with them?" Zoe asked, feigning interest. She had to give him some Brownie-points for trying to distract her from stressing so much.
"We've got school, and my dad doesn't seem interested in hunting." Kyle shrugged.
"And Jess's mom?"
"She prefers to stay home. It's a thing my mom and Jess's dad has been doing for a long time, so I think everyone else just feels like they'll be intruding if they went along. Except for Haley, of course. She always begs to go with them."
"That's kind of strange, isn't it? Unless your dad isn't the jealous type of guy." Zoe said, quietly reflecting that she would rather tie Kyle up in a closet than let him go somewhere with another girl.
"He is," Kyle grimaced. "I mean, he can be when he wants too. But it's best for everyone if he just lets my mom do her thing. Besides, it's not like there's anything between her and Julian." Kyle said the last more to himself than Zoe.

She watched him curiously as they drove on in silence. The houses and buildings around them morphed into forest and shrubbery. Zoe chewed her lip nervously before speaking again.
"I'd like to meet your family sometime. I mean, I've heard so much about them already, it feels like I know them." Zoe said to his surprised glance.
"Sure, I'd love for you to meet them." Kyle said after a moment, a small smile spreading across his lips.
"Oh, it's down this road." Zoe said quickly, straightening up in her seat and pointing to the left side of the road.

Kyle slowed the car down and turned up the uneven tar. Zoe swallowed hard as they drove up to her house at the end of the lonely cul-de-sac. She let out a gush of relief when she saw neither of her parents' cars outside the house.
"So, this is where you live?" Kyle asked, cutting the engine and peering out at the old house.
"Yeah. It's a bit of a mess, but my parents think it adds character to the house." Zoe said, cheeks flushing.
"It looks old." Kyle said, squinting at the house before turning to look at Zoe when she opened her door. "Is someone home? I could always hang around until your parents get home."
"Oh, no, as much as I'd want you to stay, today really isn't a good day. I'll be fine," Zoe said over her shoulder as she got out of the car. She turned back and offered him a warm smile. "Maybe next time, though."
"Next time, then." Kyle said, his smile uncertain.

Zoe closed the car door and jogged up to the front door. She looked over her shoulder when she heard him start up the engine again, and waved as he pulled out of the driveway. She opened the door and stepped into the house, closing her eyes and sending a quick prayer of thanks. It was as she closed the door behind her that she heard the familiar growl of her father's car coming up the drive.
Zoe became animated then, dashing to the kitchen to hastily grab placemats and silverware, and rushing to set the table. She just put down the last napkin, out of breath and heart jarring in her chest, when the front door opened and her parents came inside.

"Hey guys." Zoe called and peeked her head into the kitchen at the sound of rustling plastic bags.
"Hi, Zoe. How was your first day?" Mrs Rudolfse asked, distractedly unloading takeaways from the bags.
"It was okay. How was yours?" Zoe asked, leaning against the doorframe.
"Oh, it's different every day." Her mother replied. "Table set?"
"Yes." Zoe said.
"Who is the boy?" Mr Rudolfse asked as he poured coke into glasses.

Zoe paused, her mind momentarily freezing over.
"The one we drove past on the street, Zorada." He added in a less patient voice.
"Oh. That's Kyle." Zoe answered vaguely.
"A friend you made today?"
"He's actually the brother of one of the friends I made today. His mom is out in the hills on a hunting trip, so he offered to give me a ride home since it was on his way." Zoe said, wondering whether she was only bending the truth or straight out lying.
"Oh." Mr Rudolfse said, and Zoe was thankful that was all he said about it.

"Is he the brother of the girl who invited you to her party?" Mrs Rudolfse asked as they carried the food through to the dining room.
"Um, no." Zoe frowned and sat down.
"Good." Mr Rudolfse muttered.
"Sounds like the kids are really nice here. Parties, rides home – and on your first day, no less. Perhaps they have different mentality here than back in Texas." Mrs Rudolfse commented.
"Well I wouldn't really know seeing as I didn't actually go to school in Texas." Zoe said, earning startled looks from both her parents.
"Where is that attitude coming from, Zoe?" Mr Rudolfse chided.
"Sorry. It's just been a long day, I guess." Zoe sniffed, loading her plate with sweet chilli sauce, chicken and rice. "I'm going to eat in my room."

"But Zoe..." Mrs Rudolfse protested.
"I've got tons of homework to do." Zoe lied, and hurried to her room before either of her parents could stop her. She ignored the faint flare of guilt she felt. So what if she didn't actually have homework? If she had to be honest with herself, she wanted to be alone. She couldn't exactly think about Kyle with her parents watching her like hawks. Besides, her parents would just spoil her day if she said one thing they didn't like, and they were bound to pester her with a hundred questions about the kids she made 'friends' with today. She didn't have to guess to know they wouldn't approve of her being friends with a girl who didn't seem to take her academic future very seriously and who had a secret boyfriend and was into doing everything she was told not to. 'Bad influence' is what her parents would call Haley; which would be a pity, Zoe thought. She kind of liked Haley.

Zoe nibbled on her supper, sitting cross-legged on her bed as she reflected on her day. She caught her thoughts drifting back to Kyle every few minutes; to his warm dark eyes, his dimpled smile, his rich deep voice, his heart-warming laugh...
Zoe didn't leave her room until she heard her parents retreat to their room for the night. She carried her dishes quietly to the kitchen, glancing at the clock on the wall on her way. Half past eleven. Zoe let out a sigh, and froze the moment she set foot in the kitchen.

The lights were off, of course, leaving most of the house in shadow. But Zoe could clearly see an old woman sitting on one of the stools by the breakfast nook; a woman in her late fifties, coloured a dull dead grey from her wild hair down to her skin and baggy dress. The bags under her eyes were inhumanly heavy, weighing her skin down to reveal the red flesh beneath her eyes. And she was watching Zoe.

Dammit, Zoe thought angrily as she quickly walked to the sink and nearly dropped her dishes into it. She turned around and hurried from the kitchen, watching the old woman rise from the stool from the corner of her eye. Wonderful. It's like she was waiting for me to come in, waiting to make eye contact and come bug me for the rest of the night.

Zoe stepped into her room and closed her door behind her, knowing that it wouldn't keep the spirit out. Maybe she'll get the message, Zoe thought angrily as she planted herself in front of her computer. She was scanning through her email when she glimpsed the old woman appear in the corner of her room. Or maybe she'd walked through the wall, Zoe wasn't sure.

She put on her earphones and selected a band from her list of MP3s that reflected her mood; morbid, angry, screaming music about hate and death. Why couldn't she just be normal, like everybody else? Why did she have to end up with a mother with a weird career and a father with none at all? Why was she cursed with eyes that could see things that other people couldn't? Why was she burdened with an appearance that made her stand out when all she wanted was to fit in?

Why, why, why? Zoe thought miserably. She frowned when the old woman suddenly disappeared through her wall again. For a moment, Zoe wondered whether to be relieved or to follow – it was unusual for ghosts to just leave her be, especially when they knew she could see them. She pulled off her earphones, and spun around on her chair to scan her room. Her gaze narrowed when she spotted the tall shadow in the back corner of her room; it ran along the height of her wall, not quite reaching the floor. It was thin, but as she watched it expanded slowly, before shrinking back to thinness. Again. Again. Like it was breathing, or some unseen pulse was running through it. It looked different from the other shadows she was used to, having no distinct lines whatsoever. It was literally just a tall blur, blacker than the darkest night.

For a second she puzzled over this new shadow, wondering why it bothered her so much. It wasn't moving from its position, and it wasn't making any noise. Harmless, like all the others. Zoe turned back to her computer with a sigh, and muffled a groan when she saw it was past twelve already.
She turned off her computer and walked over to her bed, sending an irritated glare toward the shadow. Maybe if she turned the light on it would go away...

Zoe froze, and turned to face the shadow fully. That's why it looks different, Zoe thought, eyes tracing the beams of light from her bedside lamp back to the hovering shadow. She stared at it for a long time, pondering about what to do, and finally deciding not to do anything.
She slipped under the covers and closed her eyes. "That's a first." She mumbled to herself, shaking off the tremor of foreboding racing up her spine. Usually when the shadows were in her room, she'd simply turn the light on to chase them off. But this one... this one came while the light was already on... how strange...
Her thoughts mulled into unfathomable words as sleep gently coaxed her into blissful dreams without shadows.

0oo888oo0

A/N: In case anyone is a bit lost (which you shouldn't be because that means I'm not writing this well enough) Zoe can see ghosts, eg. The boy in the backseat of the car when her mother drove her to school the first day, and the old woman in the kitchen: both ghosts. There will probably be a few more appearances of different ghosts to come, but its really just to emphasize that Zoe's life isn't ordinary (who can be ordinary when they see dead people, right?)