Golden morning light spilled into the bedroom, highlighting the dust motes that drifted through the air. Ellie stood in the center of the room, surveying her surroundings. Crumbled graphics t-shirts, boxers and bunched up dark jeans littered the floor. On the desk, below the window, sat open text books, papers and a computer. Posters of rock bands were pinned to the wall, accompanied by a few with motorcycles, with scantily clad girls atop them.

Ellie wrinkled her nose at the posters and looked away. Her gaze dropped to the bed and the sleeping guy in it. A bare, muscular chest rose and fell in a deep heavy rhythm. Brown messy hair played across the smooth brow. Ellie made a face and shifted uncomfortably before she moved to the side of the bed, her footsteps making no noise. Beside the bed stood a night stand, upon which a phone lay.

Ellie watched the phone, waiting.

A second later the phone started vibrating, playing a loud pulsating rock song. The guy in the bed turned over, his eyes still closed and padded the phone, his finger finally muting the song. With a loud yawn, he rubbed his face. He pulled his hand away, revealing two dark gray eyes. For a long second he stared up at the ceiling, unaware of Ellie's presence in the room.

Ellie put a fist to her mouth and gave a quiet cough.

The guy looked over and let out a loud yelp if surprise. He rolled away and fell off the other side of his bed, landing with a loud thunk on the hard wood floor.

Slowly, he lifted his head and looked at Ellie standing on the other side. For a long second he just stared, taking in the teenage girl in front of him with wispy, chopped, honey blonde hair, light blue eyes, and a thin frame dressed in a pair of jeans and white v-neck shirt. Ellie cleared her throat, lifted her chin and spoke, taking on a deep resonant tone.

"Alex Jamison," she said. "I have come to warn you of the future and of what will happen if you do not change your ways."

Alex let out a shocked cruse.

"You are real," he said. "That wasn't a dream."

Ellie gave him a shy smile.

"Uh...no, it wasn't a dream, but I'm not sure if you could call me real."

Alex stayed rooted to the spot, his eyes still trained on Ellie. She looked around.

"Nice place you got here," she said.

Alex tore his gaze from her to scan the cluttered room. He looked back at her.

"Is it normal for ghosts to have a sense of humor?" he asked.

Ellie cringed and Alex stiffened.

"I prefer the term translucent being," she said. "And I don't know, I didn't get a manual and I haven't spotted any more of my brethren around."

Alex nodded, as his gaze drifted to his bed.

"Am I going mad?" he asked.

"How should I know?" Ellie said.

She flopped forward on to the bed, resting her chin in his hands. Alex fell backward, catching himself. For a long moment, they stared at each other. The door to Alex's room opened and a woman in her late forties peered in.

"Alex?" his mother said.

Alex's attention jumped from his mother to where Ellie lay on the bed. His mother looked down and smiled.

"Good," she said. "You're up. I have breakfast. Hurry up or you'll be late for school."

She went to close the door but Alex's shout stopped her.

"What?" she asked.

He held up a hand and pointed to his bed.

"Do you see that?" he asked.

His mother looked to the bed, staring directly at Ellie. Ellie waved and gave her a bright grin. His mother didn't blink. She looked to Alex.

"Do I see that you still have trouble with making your bed, yes. Now hurry up."

With that she closed the door and walked back down the hallway. Alex collapsed on the floor, covering his face with his hands, as he listened to his mother's retreating footsteps.

"So...what's for breakfast?" Ellie asked. "Do you think she would let me have some."

Alex lowered his hands to look at her.

"You can't eat," he said. "Or can you?"

"I don't think so but it's still rude for you not to offer me some. I am your guest."

"I don't want you to be here!" he said. "I don't even understand how you are here. I don't understand any of this."

Alex laid his head back on the floor, rubbing his eyes and letting out a tired groan. Ellie looked away, with a roll of her eyes.

"That makes two of us," she said.

Alex lifted his head and stared at her.

"Wait, what?" he asked.

Ellie shifted and sat with her legs crossed.

"I don't know why I'm here," she said, waving her arms about. "You think you don't understand what is going on, I'm even more in the dark. Not literally, I walked towards the light and found you last night under the streetlamp. But I don't know what happened. Maybe I took a wrong turn. Can you even do that? I didn't know there were directions in the afterlife, let alone wrong turns." Ellie's face took on a panicked expression. "I mean what if people are expecting me to be someplace at a specific time and I don't show. Do you think they are wondering where I went? Will they send angels out to look for me? Or worse demons!"

Ellie rose and started pacing around the room, her voice rising as panic took hold of her.

"Why am I here? The last thing I know is I'm walking across the street and something hits me. Then nothing. Lights out. I am in blackness, then I see some light and you know what they say walk towards it and that's when I found you and accidentally walked through you. Sorry about that. What am I doing here? Where did I go wrong? How am I..."

"Stop!"

Ellie froze mid step and looked over at Alex. He climbed to his feet and ran a hand through his hand.

"Just stop," he said. "I'm the one that's suppose to be freaking out, I have the ghost in my room. I am the one who gets to rant how none of this makes sense, not you."

Ellie frowned and placed her hands on her hips.

"Translucent being and that seems a little selfish of you," she said. "I'm the one who is lost here. I don't know what I am or why I'm still here. Do you know how nerve wracking that is? At least you can open doors and stuff. You don't have the fear of walking through a wall and seeing someone half clothed. You can avoid being scarred for life. I might be scarred for eternity, if I ever find it."

"Stop!"

Ellie closed her mouth and sank to the ground, putting her head in her hands.

"Thank you," Alex said.

He started pacing.

"Alright," he said, his tone distracted. "I just witnessed a ghost-"

"Translucent being."

"Ranting. That is not normal. But that's fine. Obviously, there is an explanation for this. I hit my head during football practice and that is clearly the cause of all this."

Ellie titled her head into one hand and looked up at him.

"You're a football player? Just my luck, I was hoping you would be a smart person that could help me figure this out."

"I take offense that you are stereotyping me. I have a 3.8 grade point average and have been accepted into three ivy league schools." Alex's eyes went wide and he looked away from her. "And I'm talking to a ghost, why am I arguing with a ghost?"

"Translucent being. Jock."

"Professional athlete."

Ellie shrugged and looked back down at the ground.

"Either way I'm stuck with a cliché."

"And I'm stuck with an anomaly."

"A football player with a brain, I'm not the only anomaly here."

Alex growled and clenched his fists.

"Will you please be quiet, I'm trying to think here," he said.

"I can see why that would be difficult with all your concussions."

Alex shot her a glare, but didn't say anything. He continued pacing and Ellie watched him. After a few minutes he stopped and approached Ellie. She sat up and gave him an odd look, leaning away from him. Alex reached out and tapped her shoulder, or tried to, his hand traveling through her. In reaction Ellie slapped at his hand, but received the same results.

"Quit, trying to touch me. It's weird," she said.

Alex straightened and stared down at her.

"So either you are a hallucination or this is actually happening to me. I'm seeing dead people."

"Technically, I don't know if I'm dead. I might be in a coma somewhere or I'm frozen in the Alps, or I'm running out of oxygen in a bunker or-"

Alex held up his hand and Ellie fell silent.

"I would feel better if you didn't speak."

Ellie let out a frustrated sigh and rested her chin on her fists, staring up at him. Alex ran a hand through his hair, looking back.

"You're not going to leave me alone, are you?" he asked.

Ellie made no reply.

"Okay, you can answer that," he said.

Ellie pushed herself off the ground.

"Look," she said. "I like this situation less than you. I don't want to wander the earth forever watching as the Kardashians slowly lose their looks and minds, though honestly I think that last one already happened. If you help me figure out what happened to me, then I will leave you alone."

Alex let out a resigned sigh as he dragged his hands down his face.

"Fine, I will help you out. But then you leave me."

Ellie clapped her hands, making no noise.

"This should be fun, the ghost and the football player unite."

"Translucent being and professional athlete," he said. "It should be a blast."

*************

Hiya!

What will happen? Honestly, not sure. Alex will help Ellie figure what happened to her, but I don't know if she'll come back or leave or she'll help him get together with someone else, it's all a blur. I really only pictured the first chapter and that's why I wrote it.

The idea behind it came from a line in Withering Heights, someone said something about haunting and you know me, my brain came up with this idea. No idea what will happen but I kind of like the funny dialogue between them.

Vote, comment, follow, tell me where you think it should go!