Samara Shaw

I wasn't allowed to watch scary movies or any movie at all when I was young. I was denied all access to the television, phones, laptops and everything that could connect to the internet. My mother always said they weren't good for me so I never got the opportunity to get my hands on one. I was only limited to books and poems so all my life, those were my only escape. Although, I usually had things to do but an hour or two everyday was dedicated to rest and I spent those times reading books.

However, horror novels were kept at the top of the library and I wasn't allowed to read them. My brother luckily had the chance to but I wasn't. Frequently, I would be drawn to such books and would stare at the covers for minutes, wondering what the thrilling title meant. They remained mysteries to me and I didn't go beyond staring at them because my mother never allowed me to. She said they were ridiculous and none of them were real but out of all I believed, that wasn't one of them.

I had a very colorful imagination, sitting alone in an event or the few minutes i spent awake before sleeping would make me slip into a different place in my head. Somewhere more colorful and live than the prison I called a life. Most were related to the books I read or pictures I'd seen so every once in a while, I would think of what the possibilities were if ghosts truly existed. It went on and on till I came with the decision they were real. Even then, I would still doubt every once in a while cause I had seen no proof of their existence.

There were ghosts in the school and I saw two of them in the hallway. That explained why they didn't hear my taps or see me. Everything looked so different, the lights went bright and both the two of them were not in uniforms like others. Then the lights suddenly went off and everything was back to normal. That was the only explanation for what I saw and I could not wrap my mind around it, I saw and heard ghosts.

"Am I insane?"

"Possibly"

"Lucy, that isn't helping in any way. I just saw ghosts and you don't look bothered at all"

"Isn't it obvious, because it's not my problem"

"It is, cause I'm your friend and roommate"

"I don't remember calling you my friend and it's not my fault you were unfortunately chosen to be my roommate"

"For once, can you just act like you care? I'm facing a real problem here, this is something beyond my understanding. I see ghosts and you're going to help me whether or not you like it"

"One day, you'll learn to act like you don't see them"

"Does this happen to just me or do you see them too?"

"Yeah, sure. Why not?"

"Sarcasm is the last thing you should think of now, I need help and you're seeing this is as a joke?"

"You're lucky I'm being honest. If you were someone else, I would've left you to go crazy"

That gave me a lot of relief. The fear I had seen ghosts was burdening and was even more when I thought I was the only one. I guess that explained why she wasn't so bothered at the first place, because she had seen them too and also why she knew exactly who they were without an accurate description. I wasn't insane if it wasn't just me. In fact, it felt great I would not have to worry about my mental health. I only had to make sure I would always have someone by my side while walking through the hallways.

"I'm sorry about that, it's difficult to know serious when you're usually very sarcastic"

"Whatever, just hit the shower before diner starts and maybe you'll understand everything then"

"Including the ghosts"

"Especially the ghosts"

"But you see them too. That has to mean something too, doesn't it?"

"I'm a necromancer, I see dead things everyday"

"What does a necromancer mean?"

"A person with powers to bring the dead back to life"

"That's ridiculous, Lucy. No one can do that"

"You'd be surprised"

"I'm not going to talk much on your wild imagination when I have to get ready for dinner"

My hands were covered in dust and a little mud and were also painful to touch. Any contact with my closet or the clothes in them would make them just as dirty. I wasn't willing to walk all the way to the bathroom to wash my hands, The adrenaline in my body was not as before when I ran to the dorm and so, I didn't have half the energy as I did.

"Can you help me with a towel and my things? My hands are dirty"

She was crouched down by her closet placing the book back where it formerly was when she mumbled words I couldn't hear. Definitely, they were about the favour I asked and could not be anything good so I didn't pay any attention to it. I had learned Lucy could act cold every minute of her life but she could also be of help too. She was the person who said 'I don't care' after every complain I made, was the one who laughed after discovering I had gotten into trouble instead of helping and  also was the one who woke me up to get to school early, advised me to keep a quiet about what happened in Vince's dining room and showed me I wasn't going insane. Thinking of it, she had helped more than anyone in Thorne. However, when she pushed all I needed for my bath into my arms even after asking for her help, it was nothing close to help.

"Lucy, my arms were once sweaty, they're also dirty"

"You said your hands are dirty so I didn't make them touch your hands. You're welcome."

"That's not what I meant"

"What did you mean?"

"That you take them with me to the bathroom"

"I can't do that, I'm not your mom"

"You still have to help take my clothes to the laundry room"

"No_"

"Thank you"

I exited the room into the wide passageway and after, made sure to look around. For all I knew there could be something right behind me. The thought of it made me shiver, the building was haunted and even worse, I could see them. Lucy's serene attitude towards it made me less bothered but without her, all the fear came rushing back. I guess she had seen too much to care anymore but at the same time, she also made a joke about having the powers to bring back the dead which made no sense. Could it mean she was just joking?

I made the best decision to go back into the room. The passageway suddenly felt so long and the bathroom too far. Although I had walked there before, I couldn't make it there on my own after what I had seen so I slowly opened the door where I saw Lucy taking out my dirty clothes.

"I'm scared, can you walk me to the bathroom?"

"Isn't this enough?"

"Please, there might be ghosts there"

"Did you see them this morning?"

"No"

"So they wouldn't be there now, does that make you feel better?"

"Not a single bit. I didn't see them in the hallway either, there might be one in the bathroom"

"That's not how they work, they don't just pop up everywhere"

"How do you know that? You're not a spiritual investigator, are you?"

"But I'm a necromancer which is something greater"

"Will you quit being sarcastic? I'm serious now"

"I can't do everything for you, okay? Trust me, they're not ghosts there. If you keep that in your head, you'll need someone to walk you everywhere you go"

"What if they hurt me?"

"They can't, it's impossible but your stomach can if you miss dinner for the sake of ghosts"

"Here's what I'm going to do, I'll run as fast as I can"

"Good for you"

I closed the door for the second time and looked straight ahead at the end of the way. I looked around me once more before taking off like a wild animal to it's prey. My shoes hit the floor so hard, I heard each step loud and clear with no worry i could cause discomfort to the people on the floor below me and those in the rooms at each side. Anyone who got the chance to see me would've thought I as running for my life.

I got to the bathroom stalls just a few seconds, looked around for anything out of the ordinary, chose the nearest one and locked the door. Getting inside the stall gave me just a little relief. In my mind, I did have the feeling supernatural beings could be anywhere and were not limited to just locks but it was the only safety I could find at that point.

With my new bar of soap and sponge, I made my bath quick. I held onto both like my life depended on it and truly, they did. Losing them would cost me another week of punishment and my life too if it was more than I could bear. That was the first time I found so much value in something so cheap. In Thorne, a one dollar soap worth every single bit of energy in you.

I was done after a few minutes, something I guessed to be even less than the fifteen minutes I complained about earlier that day. I wrapped a towel around myself, feeling all the sweat and dirt off my skin after painful scrubs. I then took all my things and left the stall. I didn't look around for ghosts, my eyes were on one thing and that was my room door. My feet were bare on the ground when I sprinted back to my room and not for a second did I think I would slip and fall. I made it to my room successfully, like Lucy predicted. I was the happiest I'd been in the past hours when I opened the door.

It was a surprise to see him in the room. It wasn't a ghost but indeed a complete violation of the school's rule. He stood beside my bed while Lucy was laying on her's. It was obvious it wasn't her choice to let him in because the anger radiating off her was more than enough to make him leave. The  look on her face sent sharp arrows to him and when her eyes met mine, were directed to me.

"Vince?"