Years Later [Present Time]

Years pass. And not a single sign of Hope. The Acachallas fell apart over time. Sally became a waffle demon. Billy went to medical school. Spencer was moved to the basement and neglected. And Mama and Papa couldn't do anything but watch the chaos unfold.

Life was just as chaotic as how it was before Hope. Everything was a mess. Ghosts haunting the house once a month. Macaroni incidents every other week.

Just as life couldn't get any weirder.

"We're here!" Johnny Ghost booms as he bursts into the house, seeing the toilet touched floating around the house trying to touch the toilets. As usual.

"Johnny! Get the ghost hunting equipment! Joy, help the Acachallas clog the toilets!" Ghost orders. "Alright, sir!" Toast replies from the van as he scrambles to get the equipment.

Joy, a shorter girl with short jet black hair and a P.I.E vest, walks into the house. She looks at Billy and Sally- who are scrambling to clog the toilets.

Joy snaps her fingers in annoyance, pointing to Gertrude's dinner from last night. Billy grins and takes the pot of chilli, and dumping it into the toilet. Sally flushes, and the toilet gets clogged up. 

"Nice call!" Billy fist bumps Joy with a grin. "Any other ideas? We have a toilet downstairs for Spencer.."

Joy thinks a moment, then smirks slightly. She grabs a dumbbell and hands it to Sally, leading her to the staircase to the basement.

"This is gonna be awesome." Sally grins wildly and runs down the stairs. "Spencer! You better not be on the toilet or you're gonna get a big surprise!" She chirps.

"Gah! Why can't I get any privacy around here anymore?!" Spencer hisses in his lisp, stumbling out of his bathroom to in front of the staircase. He glances up in annoyance. "What're you looking a--"

He does a double take and looks at Joy, who's looking down at him in confusion. ".. You.. Remind me of my sister." Spencer mutters. The jet black hair. The sincerely kind eyes. Almost a duplicate.

"What's you're name?" Spencer asks suspiciously. Joy blinks, as Sally rushes by her brother happily. "Her name's Joy! She came here with Toast and Ghost!" Sally replies, running up and hugging Joy, who's look turns to a glare at the ginger.

".. Oh." Spencer squints. ".. I guess I was mistak--"

'... Its been awhile.'

Spencer's eyes widen and he stumbled back, trying not to fall. "What the--?!"

"Johnny! The basement! TT is heading for the basement!" Ghost hollers.

"I'm going, sir!" Toast yells back, not paying attention to where he's going and knocking Joy over. She loses her balance and yelps.

"Joy!" Spencer gulps and goes to catch her--

Only for Joy to be caught instantly by Ghost, who's timing was perfect to save her. Joy takes a deep, shaky breath and smiles at Ghost. "No problem, Joy." He grins and puts her down.

A hint of jealous boils inside of Spencer.

".. Hey Johnny!" Spencer snaps, his lisp strong. "Mind introducing Joy to me?"

"Oh, sure." Ghost walks downstairs with Joy before putting her down.

"This is Joy. She's extremely shy... And only ever talks to me. Toast found her lost astray a few years ago. We never found out where she lived.. So Toast's Mom adopted her. And now she's--" Ghost is interrupted by Joy pecking his cheek and running upstairs. Ghost blushes and looks at Spencer. "... My girlfriend." He finishes.

".. That's my sister." Spencer mutters lowly.

".. Pardon?" Johnny blinks.

"You.. You're dating my sister?!" Spencer hisses.

Ghost put his hands up in surrender. "Wh.. What are you talking about, Kid?"

"My adopted sister Hope disappeared years ago. She ran away for unknown reasons. You found her.. Toast adopted her.. You're dating her..." Spencer explains bitterly.

".. But.. Hope and Joy. Two different names." Ghost mumbles.

"She probably changed her name so you wouldn't be able to take her back to us.." Spencer adjusts his glasses and growls. "You took my sister away from me. I want her back."

"Sorry kid but.. If she ran away.. what makes you think she'd wanna come back?" Ghost rubs his neck. "Besides.. She only ever talks to me."

"Talks. Define that. Does she use her words out loud?" Spencer glares. "Or is it more of.. Inside your head?"

Ghost blinks. ".. You mean.. She spoke to you before?"

"She's my sister! Of course she spoke to me! Nobody could separate us!" Spencer hisses, tears pricking his eyes.

".. Until she left." Ghost replies sternly. "She chose this. Hop--Joy... She's allowed to make her own choices. And if leaving her past behind her is the choice she wants... Let her take it."

"But.." Spencer's heart snaps. ".. She promised one day she'd return."

"Doesn't mean she'll stay..." Ghost replies, turning away and walking upstairs. ".. It's just life, kid."

Spencer collapses onto the couch, holding his head as a million thoughts rushed through his head.

He hears footsteps.

Spencer looks up slightly, seeing Joy standing there, looking slightly sad.

".. Hey Hope." He mumbles into his hands.

Joy's eyes go wide.

"Yeah. You can drop the act now. I know it's you." He smirks slightly. ".. Nice try though."

Hope sighs and sits next to Spencer, looking at him in the eyes.

'Can we talk?'

".. I don't see why not." Spencer stretches his back out and turns to his sister. ".. So. Start talking."

Hope glares. '.. Why should I be the one talking? Shouldn't you be apologizing?'

"Apologizing? For what?!" Spencer yells. "I'm not the one who abandoned the family for all these years!"

Hope pouts angrily.

'I wasn't the one who betrayed the other!'

"It was over A ROOM ARRANGEMENT!" Spencer hollers, gripping his hair. "You're acting like a child!"

'Takes one to know one.'

"Uggghhh.." Spencer flops backwards on the couch. "You're impossible!"

'I get that from you.' Hope rolls her eyes.

"Wait- what's with you and Ghost anyways?" Spencer sits up and raises a brow.

Hope smiles faintly. 'He's super sweet. He really understands me. Sure, he's a bit oblivious to my real situation... But nevertheless he always understands.'

"That's ridiculous." Spencer spits. "I can't believe you abandoned me for Johnny Ghost." He turns away and folds his arms.

'I wouldn't have left if SOMEONE hadn't been such a jerk.' Hope snaps.

"That JERK being you!" Spencer glares sharply. "Get this through your head! Life wouldn't have changed too much for us if I had just moved to the basement without a problem! Then you come in and bring in all the drama of betrayal! It's not betrayal- it's obedience! To the two people who put a roof over our heads! I wasn't betraying you- you were being selfish!"

Hope stares at him, both shocked and heartbroken.

".. W.. Well?!" Spencer snaps, his voice cracking.

Hope's eyes tear up.

'.. I.. I'm sorry..'

She gets up and runs out of the house, where Ghost and Toast had finished loading the equipment back into the van after capturing the toilet toucher.

"Oh, Joy! We were just about to--" Ghost is interrupted by Joy hugging him tightly, crying into his shoulder.

Confused yet concerned, Ghost comforts the crying girl. "Shh.. Shh it's okay, Joy..." He whispers. "Let's head home..."

The P.I.E van drives out of sight. Leaving Spencer, still in the basement, shocked at his own words.

"No... Not again." Spencer grips his hair. "I found my sister after all these years... And I just lost her... Again..."

He curls up into a call on the couch and cries.

Is she gone forever?

I really hope not.

If so... What am I going to do?