~~~~~~~~~Your POV~~~~~~~~~

"You're sure you're up for this, honey?" Aunt Beck asked as I grabbed my bag. Usually she's already long gone by this hour, but she decided to call her work and let them know she'd stay home to keep an eye on me. "Maybe you should just stay home, regain your energy. I can make you some lunch."

"I'm fine, Aunt Beck, honest. It's not like I got hurt or something."

"You fainted," she reminded me, her expression a mix of anger and worry. "At least take an extra water bottle."

"If it'll make you worry less," I replied as I opened the fridge, grabbing a bottle that had been frozen with time inside and placing it in my bag's other pocket.

She then placed a kiss on my head, "Take it easy, okay?"

"I will." I gave her a smile and a wave and rushed out the door, on my way to the bus stop. It's not that I wanted to go to school, I'd do anything to stay home for another day and not worry about anything for a couple of hours. But being out meant getting new info on Dipper's case.

God, Dipper... last night started a whole new set of problems I really didn't want to deal with. I could barely look him in the eye as it was.

Yes, I can admit, maybe I do like him as... as more. He's the only real person I've managed to have a real conversation with, about feelings, about life, the person who's given me a chance to talk about my life at all.

But how do I know he's not just being nice so I continue to help him out?

"You look really distressed," Ally said as she hovered beside me at my bus seat. Like always, nobody wanted to sit beside me, and I was grateful for the peace. "Is this about a certain someone you might be interested in...?"

I glared over, but didn't dare to speak. I wasn't alone anymore, and although I didn't want Aunt Beck to worry, I was still feeling a little woozy from yesterday. I didn't need the extra attention.

It was then that I noticed Andy was taunting a few people that sat near the back, people who often picked on me. They couldn't see him, of course, but he mocked them and poked them, while Dipper watched from the side, trying not to laugh.

I have to say, I never expected those two to get along, but they make a weirdly good pair.

At that moment, Dipper met my eyes, and I noticed his cheeks grow red as I looked away. Allison noticed it, too, hearing her giggle. "You know, I think you two would make a cute couple."

I couldn't stop the warmth that grew on my cheeks at the thought of it. So I pulled out my Notes app and began to type in my thoughts, "Whether I like him or not doesn't matter. It won't matter if he stays dead, and it won't matter when he goes back to his old life."

Ally's expression fell, "Well, maybe he won't go back to his old life. Maybe he'll start a new one, with you in it."

"Then I'd just be ruining his life in general," I added to my notes for her to read, then left as soon as the bus stopped driving and opened its doors, not waiting for Ally to answer. Maybe it was mean for me to do so, but I wasn't in the mood for her positivity. Dipper deserved a better life, a life away from me.

Luckily, the first two periods went by without any problems; fast, normal. But it was in between that second and third period that things started to go haywire.

At least, for me.

I was in the bathroom washing my face when it started, as I was starting to feel a little lightheaded during my last class, when a freshman girl walked over to me. I had never seen her before, not that I could remember; she was pretty short, even by early teen standards, with dusty blonde hair that reached her shoulders and light brown eyes that matched her lightly tanned skin. I had asked Ally and Andy to go around the school and ask any ghosts for any information they've seen, while Dipper did his best to follow, so I was on my own.

She also seemed incredibly nervous, which should've been my first red flag.

"H-hi, um, can you help me with something? This teacher of mine asked me to get her a few things from the storage, and- a-and I don't exactly know where it is, nor do I really know anyone... B-but I've seen you taking a few senior classes, so I thought m-maybe- you know..."

I thought about it for a moment; she didn't seem to be lying about that. I remember my freshman year being the definition of hell, and while it was probably not for the same reasons, I could only imagine how difficult this year had been for her. Especially with a school that's recently had a missing student.

"Yeah, sure, I'll help you out. Did the teacher mention which storage?"

"I think she said it was in the south hall?"

"Okay, follow me." One of the benefits of being the agreed upon outcast was that you learned every hiding place the school had to offer; every bathroom, every storage, every closet, every corner hidden by stairs and every area under the bleachers where you'd disappear from sight.

The southern hall wasn't far, but it was a bit of a walk from the bathroom I was in. I managed to take her there before the bell rang, gesturing to the door which she walked in with ease. Then she pointed at a box at the end of the hall, "Can you get that one for me? I'll get this one."

"Uh, okay." My reasoning was that she was new, she probably didn't know about me, or heard about me, I was just a normal student in her eyes.

But when I asked, "Is this all that you need?" and didn't get a reply, I got a sunken feeling in my gut.

When I turned, Melanie was there instead of the freshman, a smirk spread across her face. "Consider it personal for getting me in trouble with my parents," she said before slamming the door shut. By the time it was happening, I had already ran halfway across the closet, desperately trying to open the door. Closets in this school only locked from the outside with a key so that students wouldn't mess with staff, but in situations like these, it never helped.

"MELANIE! LET ME OUT!" I yelled, slamming my fists against the door. It was dark inside, so so dark; I hadn't bothered to turn the lights on since the opened door gave us more light than needed, and it was supposed to be a quick grab and leave.

From the other side, I heard laughter, which faded as it went on. She was walking away, leaving me trapped.

I began to use my shoulder, refusing to look behind me. Then I grabbed a bucket. Then a broom. Anything I could use to set myself free, trying to concentrate as the groaning began.

And when it did, my breathing stopped for just a moment.

I didn't care about staying quiet, maybe someone would hear me and set me free, so I'd yell with every attempt, to the point tears started to sting my eyes.

"Help..." I heard from behind, but I still refused to look. "Help us..."

"Save us..."

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" I yelled, slamming my shoulder against the door once more, feeling something inside it snap. I quickly gripped my shoulder, biting my lip to hold in the pain. I wasn't going to cry, I refused to give Melanie the satisfaction.

But when the groaning turned to wailing, I couldn't hold my head away.

It was exactly what I expected to see, yet the sight alone was enough to send my tears running down my face. So many faces, maybe hundreds, all pale as paper, so pale you could see every vein that had decayed long ago. Their eyes were empty sockets, and blood poured like water falls down their faces. Their arms were long and boney, fingers sharp like claws as they reached out to me.

And they were all squished and melted together into one big pile of misery.

I was sobbing now, still trying to open the door with what little strength I had, ignoring the pain that kept growing from my shoulder. I've always hated these creatures, hated seeing them, hated hearing them. I couldn't be in a pitch black room because of them. I slept with the light of the moon because of them.

Through my crying, I yelled once more, "SOMEBODY HELP ME, PLEASE!"

"Help us..."

"Save us..."

"GET AWAY!" I pressed myself against the door, as if trying to become part of it, and before I realized it, I was falling face forward onto the floor.

The next voice I heard was familiar. "(y/n)?! H-hey, look at me! Are you okay?!"

Dipper's.

My body reacted before my mind could comprehend, throwing my arms around him and pressing myself against his chest, crying into his shoulder as the sound of painful hissing came from behind. Thank God this was one of those moments I could touch him, or else that would've been so embarrassing.

It already is embarrassing.

But he wrapped his arms around me just as tightly, rubbing my back, his voice a whisper. "It's okay... you're okay..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Next thing I knew, we were outside on the school's front yard. It was strange to see it so empty, but it was lunch, and kids here weren't allowed to leave and buy food.

Ally and Andy each sat at one of my sides, with Ally giving a million apologies even though I had asked her to leave. Andy didn't talk, but I could tell he also felt bad by the way he fiddled with his tag necklace.

It was Mabel and Pacifica who had opened the door for me, Mabel's incredible charisma skills were no match for anyone and she managed to get the key, and Pacifica got me an ice pack for my shoulder.

And Dipper? He never let go of my hand. I wasn't sure how I felt about it, but I was too exhausted to complain.

"So Melanie locked you in because of what happened yesterday?" Pacifica asked, to which I nodded. "That bitch!!"

"We saw it though..."

"What?" I looked up at Mabel, who had her eyes focused to the school.

"The faces, we saw them when we unlocked the door. Barely, they were blurry, but... they were there. Is that normal?"

I thought about it for a moment, this time finding myself to grip Dipper's hand. "I'm... not surprised. Phantoms have more will power to communicate with the living."

"Phantoms?"

"That's what I call them. They're a bunch of ghosts who have been long forgotten, so much that they forgot their own identities. That's why they only appear when it's pitch black. As a result, their pain have merged together into one, and they become... well, that."

Pacifica made a gagging noise, placing a hand over her mouth. "Oh my God..."

"Because they have so much pain, they're better able to communicate with the other side, but they're so far gone that they end up dragging anyone they touch with them." I then shook my head, wiping my cheek. "I'm sorry for causing so much trouble. I'll be fine."

"No, absolutely not," Dipper said with a stern look. "We're taking you home, you're in no shape to continue."

"Dipper, I'm fine, I'm just-"

"Allison, Andrés, and I will continue to scout for information. But you," he squeezed my hand once more, "you just need to take things easy... Please..."

I stared at him for a while. His face was serious, but his gaze was gentle.

My heart began to ache at the sight. It was the same way my mother used to look at me. Like I was the only thing that mattered.

So I nodded, "Okay..."

Thanks for reading!!! 'Till next time!!!

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