Parties? Well, I wasn't really the type to ever be invited to one. The couple of people I hung around with weren't either. I guess I just fit into the category of the quiet, introverted, sometimes an A reaching student. I know it was never like they were purposefully trying to avoid me, no one bothered me that way too much, but I think they assumed that it wasn't really my scene. Luckily, in this case, I'm not that person anymore. In fact, I kind of regret not being the person I am now then. Who wouldn't want to feel like a badass when no one's stopping them?

I was jolted right out of my mind when the shrieks that seem to come from hell itself, with the ringing of the lunch bell in the whispers of my ears, pulls me back to reality. And just for a second, before he was able to turn the lights from his break room off, I was able to capture that petrified, wide-eyed, look from Mr. Dumble who was sure to not sleep tonight. I didn't think a little payback would be too much of a price to pay for all he's done.

Now, this second half of the day can become quite boring, if I do say so myself. I do rarely on occasion find myself a nice cozy spot in a dark classroom watching whatever movie adaptation of the novels their studying. I wish I understood why the teachers don't mix it up a little every year, cause at the moment I remember clearly watching every version of Romeo and Juliet in this exact class.

"Oh Romeo, Romeo," I belt out, "wherefore art thou Romeo!"

1996 was a great year. It sucks that I was two years late to it.

"Did you hear that?" some random 10th grader, with long ombre hair, says in front of me.

Okay, maybe I was a little too loud... dramatic? I got to keep myself entertained somehow.

"No..." some girl responds to her.

"I swear-," she hesitates for a second, "I heard someone right behind me."

"What do you need to be talking about right now?!" Mrs.Grand asks, interrupting the movie.

"I'm sorry," the shaky girl replies, "but I heard-"

"What a ghost?" Mrs.Grand says sarcastically slump.

The twenty other kids in the room let out an audible giggle, but this girl, on the other hand, is still shaken up a little.

Mrs.Grand rolls her eyes and shakes its all off, her curly hair bouncing to the edge of her button-up blouse.

"Sorry," I apologetically whisper in her ear, only to make her jump in fright once more.

I was sure to get out of there quickly enough, passing right through the red steel door into the hallway where I turned my head and noticed an old classmate just turning the corner. I was certain he could see me at that moment. I had never seen this astute looking student almost piss himself before. He was in the midst of either dropping his binders right through the floor or crushing their waists to death, the light plastic covering gathering up under his hands. I gave him a little wink for added effect.

The final bell took its toll and within seconds everything around us became a river of bodies, live ones to be correct, it was an easy escape.

It feels amazing to burst out of those two front doors, taking in the cool breeze air of the oncoming Fall even if it's not for another few weeks. This town was made to be covered in red and orange leaves, to become the kingdom of pumpkin patches and maybe home to a cult or two. I still don't have any answers to that though...

Every year there's at least some sort of bogus gossip that spreads like a virus through the school. The first mention of a cult happened about six years ago. Eleven-year-old me along with anyone else who dared talk to the sixth graders was absolutely petrified by the concept of our hearts being eaten by some hooded asshole, who could have secretly been our parents for all we knew. At least they were sure my mom was, that's probably why she left six months after I came into the picture. As I've gotten older, it's made me laugh more than cry. I don't even know how I could have even shed one tear for that woman, I don't even know her... I wonder if she even knows I'm dead.

With the sky turning to the colour of an overripe plum, I could practically smell the booze summoning me from Fia's three-story house on the largest plot that could be found in town, which was three acres. Her home was one of the older ones around these parts, covered in red bricks with the traditional white trimming that's grayed with age that you might expect on a traditional Victorian porch. At night, it certainly resembled more of a jack-o'-lantern, with its incandescent lighting. Most of the loud thumping came from the backyard within the trees past the inground pool, which certainly wasn't part of the original property.

Three kegs were spread out in the central part of the party, with a firepit burning through the oak logs sending ash into the air almost like snow.

"Hey E!" Fia calls out to Elijah with a cup in her hand.

He'd seemed to have just arrived in his dad's old baseball jacket and was looking around to see who had shown up so far. Everyone from our grade was almost here, not to forget whoever they happened to be dating at that point in time.

"Hey," Elijah waves stiffly as he goes to meet her.

"Here," Fia hands him a cup full of whatever would get them drunker faster. "Can I ask a favour?"

"Sure," he agrees, smirking.

She gives him another plastic cup full to the brim, "Do you mind running this over to Rebecca? I told her I would bring her one."

"Yeah, no problem," he says, before continuing on his merry way.

Through the trees I could see a few people huddled in a circle, crisscrossed on the dirt with a few flashlights to be able to see. One of the only juniors from school to show up to the party had a box in front of her. I got all excited when I saw one of the greatest five letter words appear as I got closer. Ouija.

"You guys ready?" the girl asks the other four people surrounding her.

"You know this isn't like spin the bottle right?" the boy across from her, who I knew as Finn from my science class, questions.

She looks at him with downturned lips and rigid eyebrows, "Nice try, but I ain't going to kiss you."

"I don't want to kiss you," he tries to back out, "I just don't want you to be scared when a demon tries to suck your soul or something."

The girl brushes him off, rolling her eyes and sighing.

"I'm just saying," he tries to warn them again.

"Can we just play?" another girl chime's in.

"Totally," the junior replies, happy to move on.

She pulls out the board and places the glow in the dark planchette on top. No one seemed to be sure what to do until she ushered them to place their fingers in to play.

"I've never played this before," the second girl says with an almost unnoticeable quiver. "Who do you think will come through?"

"I hope it's my dog," Fia says as she comes to join in on the fun.

Her jumping out of nowhere made me think that she would probably be a better ghost than me. Maybe she's got teleportation powers that no one knows about.

She adds her hands to the game and they all wait to see what happens. Obviously, nothing happened. I'm not just going to give myself away that easily. And if I do decide to tell them something, it'll one hundred percent be an immature fart joke. Who doesn't like fart jokes?! Again, what would I be getting out of this conversation? I want something in return for showing them the less than stellar beyond. What about another ghost who will actually talk to me, Frank doesn't and I'm not going to lie that he's not the greatest company.

Within seconds, I should have known that I had spoken too soon. The highest glass-breaking scream came from out of the woods and made every head turn. One after another, people started sprinting to see what happened through the wailing. Everyone who had been playing with the talking board abandoned the endeavour to see what was going on. I followed last, only to see two guys, one of which was Percy, jumping into the cold water of the pool. Adrenaline had kicked in as they pulled a body from the looming clasps of death.

It's Elijah.

Shit.