The morning breeze snuck in through Presence's window like a mischievous child, rustling the curtains and carrying with it a chorus of birds that seemed way too chipper for the ungodly hour. The pale morning light cast a soft glow on her collection of Star Wars action figures lined up on the shelf, their plastic faces serene and indifferent to her predicament.

Presence stretched, feeling like a cat in the sunbeam, a smile playing on her lips as she inhaled the scent of home - a bouquet of flowers, old books, and just a hint of last night's dinner.

As she opened her eyes, expecting to see the same ceiling she'd stared at through countless teenage crises, she instead found herself face-to-face with Kel. His spectral form hovered mere inches above her, like the world's most otherworldly alarm clock.

Presence let out a yelp that could have shattered glass. Her heart did an impromptu Azonto dance in her chest as she bolted upright. She scrambled backwards, clutching her blanket like it was the last lifeboat on the Titanic. "What the hell are you doing here?" she squealed, her voice hitting a pitch that probably had dogs in the next county covering their ears.

Kel, caught off guard by her reaction (because apparently, even ghosts can be surprised), backed away slightly. He opened his mouth, no doubt ready to offer a serious explanation, but the memory of Presence's comical squeak replayed in his mind. A chuckle escaped his lips, quickly evolving into full-blown laughter.

Presence watched him with a raised eyebrow, her initial shock giving way to a mix of annoyance and curiosity. Her heart rate began to slow, but a sense of unease lingered. She'd never gotten used to Kel's sudden appearances, no matter how many times it happened.

She waited for Kel to compose himself, her expression a blend of exasperation and barely concealed amusement.

"Are you quite finished?" she asked dryly, still clutching her blanket.

Kel's laughter subsided to sporadic chuckles as he tried to regain his composure. "I'm sorry," he managed between breaths, "but your face... and that sound you made..."

Presence rolled her eyes, but a small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "Yeah, yeah, hilarious. Now, seriously, what are you doing in my bedroom?"

"I came to fix your lonely," Kel replied with a half-smile that could have melted butter.

Presence's heart decided to perform a series of acrobatic flips. Her face, however, remained carefully neutral. She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again, her large eyes fixed on Kel like he was a particularly challenging math problem she couldn't quite solve.

Kel continued, a hint of playfulness dancing in his voice, "What? Didn't you miss me?"

Presence rolled her eyes so hard she probably saw the inside of her skull. Then, with the sudden unpredictability of a cat deciding whether to cuddle or attack, she shot her face forward, almost yelling, "Where have you been?" Just as quickly, she recoiled, covering her mouth with her hand like she'd just remembered she was human and subject to things like morning breath.

Kel chuckled, glancing at her covered mouth with amusement. "I'm a ghost, Presy. I can't smell morning breath."

Presence responded with a raised middle finger, the universal language of 'I like you but I also kind of want to punch you.' This only made Kel laugh harder, his ghostly form shaking with mirth.

As she tried to get up from her bed, Presence suddenly remembered the immodest nature of her nightgown. She gasped, her eyes widening. "Kel! Turn the fuck around!" she demanded, clutching the blanket tighter.

Kel, suddenly awkward, spun around to face the window. "Sorry, sorry," he mumbled, his translucent form seeming to shimmer with embarrassment.

Presence quickly slipped out of bed, keeping one eye on Kel's back as she reached for a t-shirt in a pile of clothes. "Don't you dare peek," she warned, hurriedly throwing the t-shirt over her head.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Kel replied, his voice a mix of amusement and sincerity. "Though, technically, I'm always dreaming. Ghost humor, you know."

Presence couldn't help but snort at his terrible joke. "Okay, Mr. Comedian, you can turn around now. But seriously, where have you been? And how did you find me here?"

Kel turned around to see Presence wearing an oversized 'ama kip kip' t-shirt over her pajama shorts. "Whose fugly t-shirt is that?" he teased, a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Was my dad's, asswipe," Presence retorted.

"Oopsies," Kel said, looking slightly abashed, like a puppy who just realized he chewed up your favorite shoes.

Presence couldn't help but chuckle. "You're such an idiot."

Her expression turned more serious as she asked again, "For the last time, where have you been?"

Kel's reply was simple and unexpected. "You said you needed space."

"And you gave me a room?" Presence grinned, despite herself.

"Isn't that how the space thing works?" Kel asked, his face a picture of mock innocence.

Presence shook her head, a mix of exasperation and fondness in her eyes. She regarded him for a moment before sitting at the edge of her bed. Kel joined her, his spectral form settling beside her without disturbing the bedding.

"Are you okay?" Kel asked, his tone softening with genuine concern.

"Mhm," Presence nodded, then turned the question back to him. "You?"

The air between them felt charged with unspoken words and emotions. Despite the lightness of their banter, there was an undercurrent of tension, as if both were aware that this moment marked a shift in their unusual relationship. Presence found herself hyper-aware of Kel's presence beside her, ghostly as it was, and wondered what had really brought him back to her after their time apart.

"Meh," Kel finally replied, quickly changing the subject. "Boy, it was stress locating you. First I had to go to the school's record room, spent hours looking for your file. Your house address was in it. Man, what kinda spell did your parents put over this house? That gate with those stupid thorns wouldn't let me past."

Presence laughed, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "Trust me, if you didn't have good intentions or at least be a good entity, there's no way the protection spell would let you in."

"Wow, that's some protection spell," Kel remarked, clearly impressed. Because apparently, even ghosts can appreciate good home security.

"Yeah, my dad, he..." Presence's voice softened, a hint of sadness creeping in. "The week before he died, he set so many things up to protect us."

Kel's ghostly form seemed to lean in slightly, his normally playful expression now serious. "Kinda like he knew he was going to die." The words hung in the air, heavy with unspoken fears. Presence felt a chill run down her spine, the gravity of Kel's statement sinking in.

"He did," Presence replied quietly. "My mom told him."

"Oh..." Kel's voice trailed off as realization dawned. "Your mom sees the, ummm... future?" He said this last part feeling a little bit woozy, the concept clearly unsettling him.

Presence noticed Kel's discomfort and nodded slowly. "Yeah, she does. It's... complicated."

Kel seemed to process this information, his spectral form shimmering slightly. "That must be... intense. For all of you."

Presence sighed, running a hand through her hair. "You have no idea. It's not always easy, knowing things before they happen. Sometimes it feels like a blessing, other times a curse."

She paused, then looked at Kel curiously. "Does that freak you out? The whole 'seeing the future' thing?"

Kel chuckled softly. "Presy, I'm a ghost. It takes a lot to freak me out these days. But I'll admit, it's a bit... disconcerting."

Presence grinned, her eyes locking with Kel's, but he quickly broke the gaze and stood up with all the grace of a newborn giraffe.

"While you were snoring like a bad CD player..." Kel began, his words dripping with playful accusation.

"What the fuck is a CD player?" Presence interjected, but Kel, determined to finish his thought, pressed on like a steamroller of sass.

"...I took the liberty to show myself around this man cave of yours. Tell me something, Presence, are you a man or a woman? Why do you have so much man stuff?"

Presence laughed, genuinely amused. "What do you mean?"

"Star Wars action figures and posters, Manchester United signed jerseys and balls and..." Kel suddenly stopped mid-sentence, like someone had hit his pause button. His face contorted in pain, and he clutched his heart before collapsing to the floor.

Presence's laughter died in her throat. "Stop fooling around, Kel. I just love United since I was a..." She trailed off as she realized Kel wasn't moving. "Kel? Kel!! This isn't funny, you're a ghost!"

But Kel remained motionless on the floor, his spectral form eerily still. The playful atmosphere of moments ago evaporated, replaced by a growing sense of dread. Presence's mind raced, trying to understand what could possibly cause a ghost to collapse.

She rushed to Kel's side, her instincts screaming at her to shake him awake. But as her hands passed right through his spectral form, reality hit her like a bucket of ice water. How do you perform CPR on someone who doesn't have a body?

"Kel!" she called out, her voice climbing the octaves of desperation. "Kel, wake up! This isn't funny anymore!" Because apparently, even in crisis, part of her brain thought this might be some twisted ghostly prank.

She hovered over him, her hands passing through his form again and again, like she was trying to catch smoke. The futility of her actions hit her harder than any physical blow could have. How do you help a ghost who's unconscious? Is that even a thing? Do ghosts have some sort of spectral first aid kit?

"Kel, please," she pleaded, her voice dropping to a whisper that carried the weight of universes. "Open your eyes. Say something. Anything!"

But Kel remained as still as only the dead can be, which was ironic considering he was already, well, dead. Presence felt helplessness wash over her, a feeling she was all too familiar with but never quite got used to. She was the girl who could see ghosts, for crying out loud! This should be her forte. But apparently, the universe had decided to throw her a curveball in the form of an unconscious specter.

She continued to call Kel's name, hoping against hope for any sign of response. Because that's the thing about being friends with a ghost - it makes the usual friendship problems seem trivial. Most teenagers worry about their friends ghosting them figuratively. Presence had to worry about hers doing it literally.

________________________________
Drop a vote, leave a comment, and perhaps even share with a friend. Appreciate it!🤍