Archive of Our Own ^beta

The house was crumbling, spider webs draped like lace over every available surface. The floorboards creaked underfoot, the light from the flashlight illuminating motes of dust. Amelia Watson moved slowly, fingers running over yellowed doilies and a dismantled record player. There was a door ahead of her, looming and dark, casting shadows across the boards. She stepped forward, hand reaching out to grasp the tarnished silver doorknob.

She screamed as a small hand grabbed her other wrist, causing her to drop her flashlight. Ame whirled around, heart in her throat.

“I swear to god, Watson,” Gawr Gura hissed, grip tight, her pupils dilated and filled with panic. “If we die here, I’m haunting you for the rest of your ghost life.”

- - -

“You wouldn’t,” Kiara said incredulously, putting her pencil down to stare at Ame. “This is an even worse idea than the time you said we should buy matching varsity jackets.”

“I mean, I still wear it,” Ina shrugged when the group turned to look at her. “It’s warm.”

Kiara sighed, resuming her homework. “Ina aside, that jacket has been buried in my closet. No one can be allowed to know I spent forty bucks on a jacket that says ‘mith’.”

“How do you even mess up that word?!” Gura rolled over from where she lay. “There’s like, no other way to spell myth.”

“Exactly! Thus, it’s not my fault. I rest my case, another one solved by the amazing detective; Amelia Watson!” Kiara playfully chucked her eraser at Ame, who yelped when it hit her on the forehead.

They were arranged around the room, Gura lying on her belly on the bed, head hanging off the side. Kiara sat at the desk with Ina, who was trying her best to get her work done, even though she probably knew it was a losing game with her friend group involved, while Ame sat propped up against the wall with her head pillowed by her folded up coat.

“Anyways, I think it would be cool!” Ame argued, notebook laying beside her completely forgotten. She was the first to give up on trying to do homework, eventually sucking Gura in and starting a strange, convoluted conversation that jumped from one topic to another. “The project asks for pictures or objects from the past. That old house probably has tons of stuff!”

“Ame, that’s stealing,” Kiara put her homework to the side, finally accepting it as a lost cause.

“It’s not stealing if it isn’t anybody’s in the first place.”

“Well, it was somebody’s, and they may come back,” Ina commented, doodling in the margins of her paper.

“That house has been rotting there since before we were born,” Gura said, sliding off the bed to lie on the floor, like a cat getting pushed off of a couch. “And if you don’t want to take anything, we could just do the picture route, that could work.”

Kiara thumped her forehead down on the desk, letting out a shriek that honestly sounded like a bird of prey. “I can’t believe this,” Ame held her breath as Kiara sat up to glare at the blonde, finger pointed at her threateningly. “Just pictures.”

Ame grinned, hands up in a placating gesture. “Just pictures.”

- - -

“Just pictures, my ass, this isn’t worth it!” Gura griped as she tried to dust off the solid layer of dirt that had coated all of them.

Their motley group stood on what was once the front lawn to the home, now just an empty lot with enough loose dirt to make them all cough as they walked toward the front door. The house’s shape cut an imposing figure; the paint on the walls faded and cracked, leaves and twigs filling up the drain pipes. Only the highest windows were unshattered, instead having blinds covering up any chance of a glimpse into the house.

“I’m kind of with Gura on this,” Ina said nervously, the infamous varsity jacket wrapped around their shoulders. “This doesn’t look very safe.”

“Just ten minutes.” Ame pleaded. “Ten minutes and then we’ll go and grab milkshakes at that diner you guys really like.”

Gura gave her an appraising eye before groaning and latching onto Kiara. “You’re paying.” Ame tried giving her a pleading look but to no avail.

“I’m paying.” Ame sighed, resigned to her fate, before stepping forward and opening the door.

Oddly, the door was unlocked, but it creaked loudly as it opened, knocking over a few cans of spray paint. The sunlight that was let in cut sharply through the oppressive darkness of the interior. Ame took a step in, leading the others into the cramped hallway. There were stacks of boxes; some empty, some unopened, most acting as tables for lamps and books. Ina picked up one of the books, wiping off the dust that had gathered on the cover, revealing a dark red book embossed with silver lettering.

“Of Ghosts And Their Otherworldly Effects: A Study.” She read aloud, before beginning to leaf through it. Kiara craned her neck to look over her shoulder, shining her flashlight on the writing.

“‘It is a notable fact that objects from other time periods carry with them a sense of nostalgia or wonder, usually upon those with higher empathy than others. The influences of such objects are devices from the creators time usually imbued with parts of themselves through the absorption of one’s emotional aura…’” Ina trailed off, squinting as she read on. “It’s about the ghostly possession of objects, apparently.”

“And apparently, this house belonged to a total wackjob.” Gura poked at a twisted-looking candelabra sitting atop a shattered mirror, drawing her hand back quickly when one of its stems broke off and fell with a thump to the wood-paneled floor.

“It’s kind of interesting though,” Kiara said, moving from behind Ina to shine her light through a doorway, illuminating what appeared to be a cramped sitting room. “How the past affects us in such little ways.”

The sound of cutlery tinkling and cupboards creaking open rang throughout the hallway, Ame partially visible rummaging through the kitchen. She exited a second later, waving her phone triumphantly. “Got some pictures!”

“How many?” Ina asked, putting the book down. Ame shrugged, opening her phone to scroll through her album.

“Probably enough? Maybe just a few more.”

“We should check out that room.” Gura pointed to a large, conspicuous dark oak door that loomed ominously from the end of the hallway, the walls around it decorated with graffiti. She looked back at the others; Kiara and Ina looking around the hallway with apparent interest and Ame shrugging once Gura caught her gaze.

“Let’s go, I guess.”

They formed into a line, with Kiara bravely stepping forward to grip onto the doorknob. Ame waited with bated breath for her to open the door, but…

“There’s… something beyond here,” Kiara whispered, hand still on the knob. “I don’t know if we should go in.”

“Well, we made it this far,” Ame looked at her phone to check its battery, feeling a twinge of fear at its rather low state. “Let’s just make it quick.”

“This was your idea, Ame,” Kiara offered, stepping to the side. “I’ll let you do the honors.”

Ina heaved a weak laugh, slim frame draped in the shadows of the house. “Chicken.”

Kiara pouted at Ina as Ame stepped forward, holding her breath as she slowly opened the door, only to let it out in a confused huff. The doorway led to a small room, shoes stacked neatly atop a dedicated stand, sneakers yellowing, and once smooth leather boots cracking from age. Taking up the majority of the space was a staircase leading up into what had to be the second floor.

“Whoever designed this house really shouldn’t have,” Kiara muttered, clinging onto Ame who once again was in the lead. The blonde chuckled dryly, taking careful steps up the stairs, wincing each time they creaked. The banister was caked in a heavy layer of dust that scattered into the air when Ina wiped off a section and revealing a meticulously carved handrail covered in what appeared to be various symbols and creatures, all writhing and moving down the rail in a sinuous line.

Kiara raised an eye at Gura, who simply shook her head, eyes wide in fear. “Wackjob,” She stage whispered, voice striking in the silence. Her broad shoulders were shaking with barely restrained fright. Kiara smiled at the girl, letting go of Ame to take Gura’s hand.

“It’ll be alright, the wackjob as you call it is probably dead or something.”

“They’re playing Friday night bingo, at their old haunt,” Ina chimed in, her face deadpan when the other two girls turned to stare at her.

“That… was even more horrible than this entire experience,” Gura said slowly, as they reached the landing of the second floor.

“Kind of makes me want to ghost you, Ina,” Kiara snickered when Gura looked at her with an exaggerated look of surprise.

“Not you too, Kiara!”

“What can we say,” Ina grinned. “The spirit is in us.”

Gura groaned loudly, speed walking to catch up to Ame. “Save me stinky!”

“Save you from what, shark-brain?” Was the response Ina and Kiara heard, as they followed behind their friend laughing.

The stairs led up into what appeared to be another hallway, this time with only three doors. The closest was a bathroom, the shower glass distorted by mold and the sink hosting what appeared to be a budding civilization of bacteria. Ina gingerly closed the door to that one, a grimace plastered over their face.

“I think we can ignore that one,” They said, to which the others hurriedly agreed. Ina and Gura decided to tackle the larger of the two rooms, both of which seemed to be bedrooms. Ame and Kiara took the other, Kiara handing off her flashlight to Ina as they split up.

“Whoa,” Ame breathed as Kiara opened the door, her phone light dancing over the walls. There were band posters everywhere, from the famous to a few Ame couldn’t name without Google’s help. The wardrobe was in a similar state, stickers and posters on the outside and inside, as the doors were left wide open to expose what appeared to be a pile of dark jeans and black shirts, with a few leather jackets thrown in for good measure.

“It’s very… personalized,” Kiara said, running a hand over the dark maroon bedspread as Ina’s head popped through the doorway.

“We’re done,” She said, the orange highlights on the tips of her dark hair the only thing separating her from the darkness of the hallway.

Ame looked over from where she stood at the small rickety desk, opening a drawer to find what seemed to be a mixtape collection. “That was fast.”

“There wasn’t much,” Gura’s voice was high-pitched and reedy, and Ame felt a pang of guilt at dragging her into a situation where she was so obviously uncomfortable. “Ina took the pictures, can we go now?”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure we’re done?” Kiara’s tone was questioning as she shot a look at Ame, who nodded.

“Thank god,” Gura huffed, Ina on her heels as the two began to head down the stairs, wincing at the creaking the house made in protest. Kiara followed after them, Ame taking two steps before looking around the room, at the space that had so clearly been someone’s but now lay unnaturally still like a grave. And before she followed her friends out of the home, she grabbed one of the mixtapes that lay inside the drawer, slipping it into one of her coat’s deep pockets.

- - -

The walk back to their homes was one made in silence, the tape in Ame’s pocket as heavy as a brick. Kiara and Ina said their goodbyes at some point, leaving Gura and Ame to continue on.

“I’m sorry for dragging you in there,” Ame said after a bit, hands fiddling with one of the straps of her coat.

Gura looked over to see guilt marring her face, her bangs covering her eyes slightly. “It’s alright,” Gura kicked at a rock that lay on the sidewalk. “At least we got a chunk of our project done.”

“Yeah but,” Ame looked down, guilt written all over her face. “I should have noticed that you didn’t want to go.”

“It’s ok, I said.” Gura chuckled, trying to brush off the suddenly heavy atmosphere. “Jeez stinky, you overthink the simplest things.”

Ame’s smile was small. “Caring about your friend isn’t that simple.” Gura’s breath caught in her throat; as the light from the dying sun shifted through Ame’s hair and turned it wheat gold, blue eyes shimmering with sadness.

“Yeah but,” Gura swallowed, as if something was stuck in her throat. “I think you do a great job already.”

Ame stopped in her tracks, unsure at the sudden mood shift. “Yeah?”

“I mean, if you really want to do better, the thing you could do is make good on your promise to get us all milkshakes,” Gura teased, giving Ame’s arm a light punch.

“Fine,” Ame said, rolling her eyes as they started moving again, but her smile was brighter as they reached Gura’s house. Gura stopped in front of the steps to the door, not making eye contact with Ame.

“Thanks for, uh, checking on me anyway,” She said softly, and this time it was Ame’s breath that stuttered, as Gura smiled at her; tender and filled with something Ame didn’t want to give a name to.

“Of course, it’s all a part of my detective nature,” Ame winked, Gura barking out a laugh as she began to walk up the steps.

“Go and detect a shower or something,” Gura tossed over her shoulder as she opened her front door.

Ame opened her mouth to retort, but Gura closed the door before she could say anything, leaving her standing outside chuckling. She walked to the next house over, her own, unlocking the door with her key and slipping inside.

- - -

The mixtape sat on the desk, Ame staring at it with her brow furrowed in concentration. The scratched and peeling label read “Beats to chill and relax to” written in bright red sharpie, bringing to mind the youtube videos Gura enjoyed listening to whenever they got together to study.

An idea struck her, and she ran to the end of the hallway where the handle to the attic’s pulldown ladder was just barely reachable. Ame groaned, walking back to her room to grab a stool to stand on.

“God, I hate being short,” She grumbled as she managed to tug the attic door open, grunting slightly from the exertion.

Ame coughed slightly from the musty air of the attic as she began to rummage through the boxes that were stacked against the attic’s slanting walls, most in rather precarious positions. She was struck by the thought of how similar her attic was to the abandoned house; how everything lay so still and silent when nobody used it anymore. Ame shook the strange feeling it brought up aside, smirking triumphantly when she opened a box to find what she was looking for.

She made her way back to her room, almost falling off the ladder as she tried to balance the box in her arms. Ame made it back to her room, taking the boombox out and dusting it off slightly as she placed it on her desk. Ame ended up fiddling with it for a while as she tried to figure out how to turn it on, the markings of the buttons having faded a while ago.

“Alright, maybe it’s this one?” Ame yelped as the device began blasting loud rock and roll, the bass causing Ame’s teeth to reverberate in her skull. She quickly pressed the same button again, sighing in relief as the music shut off. “Now to find the volume button, I guess.”

After quickly searching up a picture online of the make of the radio and finding where all the buttons were supposed to be, she managed to turn it on and have the volume at a more manageable level.

“Alright, so now I just…” She opened the slot on the boombox and inserted the mixtape. It seemed to work for a few seconds, the light and airy strum of a guitar solo coming out a little bit grainy through the speaker. But then the sound abruptly shut off, the only sign that the boombox hadn’t died on Ame was the little light next to the power button.

“What the hell?” Ame muttered, slapping the boombox lightly.

And with a crack and a “Hey man, what the heck?”, a person appeared in Ame’s bedroom.

Ame screamed, falling back onto the floor of her room and finding in the back of her mind the mild irritation about how she was breaking down so easily like a horror movie stereotype.

“Hey hey, calm down, it’s alright!” The lady waved her arms frantically, her oversized leather jacket flapping around. Ame took heaving breaths in, eyes still trained on the flickering form of the woman that had appeared.

She was tall, with long flowy pink hair that reminded Ame of Kiara’s own vibrant orange. She had multiple piercings; black metal industrials, helixes, and silver earrings, matching the color scheme of her leather jacket and band tee. Her converse were beaten up, black jeans torn and tattered. Ame had the distant realization that this woman’s wardrobe matched that of the clothes in the closet of the room the mixtape was from.

“Uhh,” Ame said eloquently, mind frantically racing through the various books and films she had seen related to the supernatural to figure out how to approach this. “I come in peace?”

The woman stared, her eyes such a bright red that they were in fact the only colors on her body that didn’t seem to be muted, not unlike if she were standing behind a cloudy window. Ame stared back, still sitting on her room’s rug.

“I don’t think I’m an alien,” The apparition finally said with a wan smile on her face. “Maybe the ghostbusters theme, that one hits hard, yeah?”

- - -

“So, she’s a ghost,” Gura said slowly, her sleeping shirt hanging off of her frame. Normally, Ame would call ahead so Gura would have time to get ready, usually because they would end up going out for hours. But this time, Gura’s friend had rushed over, face bright red from exertion and eyes wide with excitement.

“Yup!” Ame bounced in place.

“And,” Gura continued in the same slow tone of someone who had just fallen asleep and wasn’t yet fully ready to get back up again. “She knows she’s a ghost, and somehow isn’t freaking out about it?”

“I don’t know, I didn’t talk to her much.” Ame stopped bouncing, instead beginning to fiddle with one of the straps on her coat. “But she’s really pretty!” Gura raised an eyebrow.

“You’re going to solve the great mystery of ghost kissing?” Immediately, Ame blushed, hands stilling on the knot she accidentally made of the strap.

“No, I just thought you guys would, you know,” Ame shuffled on Gura’s front step, head down so her blonde fringe covered her eyes. “Want to know.”

Gura grinned, her canines notably sharper than her other teeth, a smile familiar to Ame. “So then let’s go tell the others!”

They split up, Ame going back home to keep an eye on the ghost and Gura taking her beat-up pickup truck to go and get Kiara and Ina. Kiara was the first stop and was already standing on the sidewalk with a raised eyebrow since Ame had texted their missing two friends to get ready.

“If this is a prank, Gawr Gura,” Kiara waved her phone threateningly at the driver as she got in the passenger's seat. “I’m putting vinegar in your swim goggles.” Gura choked, swerving slightly to narrowly miss a stop sign, pulling to the side to stare at Kiara.

“You wouldn’t.”

Kiara’s response was a smug grin. “No kisses either.” That earned her a firm punch on the shoulder, with Kiara cackling as Gura pulled back into traffic to grab Ina.

Ina was a calmer pick up, the girl sliding into the back with a sigh. “Field trip number two of the week, in something probably more dangerous than that house we were in.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Gura asked as she strained her neck to look over the wheel, having yet another near-miss with a lady just trying to cross a street.

“How you got your license is beyond me,” Kiara said, shaking her head, reaching around her seat to grab Ina’s hand.

Gura parked cleanly in Ame’s driveway, a feat that had Kiara and Ina releasing the breath that they didn’t know they had held. The girls exited the car, Ina looking slightly green, and entered the home. They greeted Ame’s dog and cat on the way in, making the familiar journey to Ame’s room. Kiara knocked and opened the door, and the sight they saw had them all standing stock still, dumbstruck.

Ame was speaking with a ghost.

“Huh,” Gura said. “And here I thought you breathed in too much of that shower mold.” Ame rolled her eyes at her as she stood up.

“Apologies Calli, forgive these cretins for their rudeness,” She said in a bad British accent as ‘Calli’ gave them a weak smile and a wave.

“Hey.”

Kiara blinked. Ina swayed. And in unison, they said; “I need to sit down.”

Ina took the desk chair, as Kiara wasted no time in slumping to the floor, both of them still staring at the ghost. The ghost in question coughed lightly.

“Never had this many people staring at me,” Calli said, voice sounding as if it were muffled. “Maybe only at my funeral.”

“That was horrible,” Kiara said, looking slightly pale.

“Ah, crap! Sorry, sorry, I um,” The spirit kicked at the floor, only to have the outline of their shoe bend in a mind-bending mess of light and pass through the floorboards. Ina stared at the half in, half out foot. “I’m not good with people.”

“And we’re not good with dead people,” Gura said, moving to lean against the desk to grab Ina’s hand. “So, same boat?”

Calli nodded, as Ina seemed to be finally shocked out of their daze at Gura’s touch enough to ask, “So, how did you, uh, get like this?” She gestured with her free hand at the ghost’s form.

Calli sighed, walking over to lean/hover against the wall, Ame noticing that her movement was as if her feet weren’t really touching the floor; only walking in that specific way through what seemed to be muscle memory. “It’s a long story,” Calli started, arms crossed over her chest. “And I should know, I’ve had a while to rehearse it.”

Gura whistled. “That’s a good beginning, you should write a book.” As the others turned to stare at her she sighed, gripping onto Ina’s hand just a little tighter. “Sorry, just. Shocked. Dead person in the room and all that.”

“Yeah, I get it,” Calli said, sliding down the wall to sit next to Gura. “Well not really but, being bad with words and stuff.” She looked down at her shoes, playing with the laces and taking a deep breath. “My dad, and his dad especially, were really into the occult. Ghosts and magic, things like that.”

“You didn’t believe in it.” Ina noticed, thumb running over the back of Gura’s hand. Calli shrugged, eyes still trained on the floor.

“Kind of have to now, since I’m dead and all. And I guess, it could have been their faults too, considering all that they messed around with,” Calli’s shoulders were slumped, and Gura reached a hand out to comfort her; to give the slightest form of sympathy, but her hand passed through her shape as if she were nothing more than a mirage. Calli turned to smile at her, still grateful for the attempt. “Again, I have had a lot of alone time to think about it.”

“Well, you aren’t alone anymore,” Kiara said, smile so bright it took Calli by surprise. Her expression made Ame chuckle.

“She’s like that, our little birdie,” Kiara let out a gasp, but her grin was still there.

“Your little birdie? Excuse me?”

Ina laughed, leaning forward to tap Kiara’s foot teasingly. “Our little birdie, you mean. Ame can’t hog all of you.”

“Of course,” Kiara said haughtily, her smile giving way to a smug expression. “There’s too much of me to handle.”

There was a beat of silence, the corner of Kiara’s mouth twitching, before Gura snorted at their shenanigans.

“Too much chicken being the cause of that, huh Kiara?”

The dam broke, all of them laughing aloud as Kiara squawked indignantly. And Calli let a small smile slip through as she laughed along with them.

“I’m Amelia Watson,” The blonde said as soon as the giggles had fully faded. “The short one over there is Gawr Gura,” The girl in question rolled her eyes at Ame, before giving a short wave to Calli.

“I’m Ninomae Ina’nis, nice to meet you,” Her voice was slightly shaky, but she met Calli’s eyes with a small smile. “You can call me Ina.”

“And I’m Takanashi Kiara, at your service, pretty lady,” Kiara gave a mock bow, almost falling over when Gura flicked her shoulder.

“Sorry about her, she’s just like that,” Gura said in a stage whisper, yelping when Kiara smacked her broad shoulder in return.

Calli laughed. “I’m Calliope Mori, pleased to meet you, fellow pretty lady.” She bowed in return, hair falling and covering her face, thankfully obscuring her blush at her own forwardness.

Gura whistled. “Someone is going to take your spot, Kiara! Better get to work!”

“Like you aren’t the same, sharky,” Calli blinked before realizing Kiara was referring to the design on Gura’s hoodie.

“Well, I’m better at it,” Gura winked at Calli, adding fuel to the fire that was Calli’s cheeks while Ina shook her head, smiling.

“Calm down, don’t overwhelm her.” Calli smiled gratefully at Ina, before feeling a twinge of fear at the look in her eyes. “At least not yet,”

Calli hid her face in her hands as everyone ended up in fits of laughter once more, but she was still smiling.

I think I’m going to like it here, Calli thought.

- - -

This part of the library was dark, lights flickering every so often and barely illuminating the rows and rows of dusty books.

“I’m not sure you should trust that,” Calli leaned over Ame’s shoulder from where the blond sat in an armchair, eyes narrowed in confusion.

“Yeah, I figured that out after the “blood of the ancients” part.” Ame closed the book and stood up, yelping and almost dropping it when her head passed through Calli’s ghostly shoulders. A person out of view behind a bookshelf shushed her, Ame whispering a quiet ‘sorry’ before turning back to the ghost.

Calli had choked out a garbled noise at the collision and scooted back, arms wrapped around herself. “Watch where you’re walking man!”

“Sorry, sorry,” Ame shivered, tugging her coat a little tighter around herself. “That was an… experience.”

“What did it feel like?” Calli whispered, floating after Ame as the blonde went to put the book away. “When you, went inside me?”

“Well, for starters it was nothing like your mom.” Ame snorted at her joke before yelping when Calli tried to swat her but ended up having her hand pass through Ame’s head. “Sorry, habit. It’s really weird. Like, being dumped in glue or something.”

“Glue?”

“Yeah,” Ame’s crystal eyes went out of focus as the strange duo walked out of the library. “Like, having a sheet over your head and everything is reduced to blobs of color, then heavy liquid is poured on top of it. And you’re suffocating and everything is muffled and you’re not sure if anyone can hear you scream.”

Calli was silent as the two walked to Ame’s car; Ame heaving open the door while Calli just floated through the passenger side. “Fuck man, that’s hardcore.”

“Says the one who’s dead.”

There was silence again as Ame put Calli’s mixtape in the cupholder. It had taken some trial and error before the group realized that Calli couldn’t go a certain distance away from the mixtape before she would be slingshotted back. Ame started up the car, the engine wheezing as if it were on its last legs, and honestly, it probably was.

“Do you think,” Calli started before going quiet again, Ame’s fingers tapping on the wheel as they pulled out of the parking lot. “Do you think my parents are alive?”

Ame sucked air through her teeth, a whistling-wheezing noise not unlike her car engine escaping her as she thought. Cute, Calli thought, before she blinked as Ame started talking. “I don’t know. The house was, well, like that for a while, since before we were born. Pretty sure it started falling apart when the owners left.”

“I’m surprised you know that much,” Calli fidgeted in her seat. “Where’d you learn it?”

Ame’s response was a sad smile. “People tell stories, you know. And one of the best ghost stories is the one about the house on the end of Cover Road.”

“Typical ‘a normal couple moves into a house but leaves weeks later ‘cause of tragedy and scary events’ type of story?”

Ame shook her head, pulling into the driveway of her house. “More, ‘family moves out because of great tragedy and those who try and move in claim to hear screams and shouts from the great beyond’.”

“Ah,” Calli nodded, once again floating through the door as Ame struggled with her finicky seatbelt. “That’s an upgrade at least.”

“I can try and find some more info on your parents if you want,” Ame offered, opening her front door. “The internet is a very documenting place these days.”

“That would be… nice,” Up the stairs and into Ame’s room where the mixtape was gingerly placed on the desk. “Wait, what’s the internet?”

Ame grinned, pulling her laptop out of a drawer and booting it up, sitting down on her bed and patting the space beside her. “Boy, do I have stuff to show you.”

- - -

“And that’s how I learned about Youtube,” Calli finished, watching as Gura treaded water in the pool. “It’s a terrifying place, we were stuck there for hours.”

“Was it the cat videos? It was the cat videos, wasn’t it.” At Calli’s nod, Gura shook her head sagely. “Soon as those cats get their claws in, you’re done for.”

She slid out of the water with ease, biceps flexing as she pushed herself out with nary a foot in the gutter. Calli’s cheeks heated as she watched the trails of water flow down toned shoulders, down to-

“Sorry about dragging you here,” Gura didn’t seem to have noticed where Calli’s eyes wandered as she toweled herself down, pulling on a white shirt with a shark design and blue shorts.

“No, no, it’s alright!” Calli managed to tear her eyes away to smile at the swimmer. “It was nice watching you swim, you’re quite good!”

Gura gave her a toothy smile. “Got to be, it’s my ticket into college. And god knows my parents are on me about that.” She shoved her towel and gear into the duffel bag that sat on one of the pool’s deck chairs, making sure Calli’s mixtape was safe in its ziplock bag before hefting it over one shoulder and gesturing towards the pool entrance/exit. “Let’s go,”

Calli floated after her, thankful for the fact that her senses were so muted after death; but even with that side effect the scent of pool water strong enough that it was still overwhelming for Calli.

Gura noticed Calli’s grimace and shot her a grin. “Yeah, I don’t think the pool maintenance people know how much chlorine you’re supposed to use. You get used to it.”

“You’ll get used to it when your hair is bleached into oblivion,” Calli said, smiling as Gura struggled with the keypad on the pool door while she floated right through.

“Cheater,” Gura grumbled as she finally managed to open the door, flip flops squelching as she trodded over to her car. “I’m not going to invite you into my house for that.”

“Invite me in? I’m pretty sure that’s a vampire thing,” Calli said, relieved by how Gura’s car had a much smoother engine turnover than Ame’s as they pulled out of their parking spot.

“You willing to bet on the chance that you might end up floating outside my door for an hour? I could just leave your mixtape in a bush.”

Calli sucked in a breath, suddenly wishing that she could grab onto something with her indistinct hands as Gura swerved around a car entering the lot. “Nope.”

“Thought so.”

Gura’s house was a charming one, right next to Ame’s own. The front yard had the brightest grass on the street, pots of flowers sitting on the porch and scattered around the lawn like a deranged menagerie of plant life. Calli whistled as they walked over, inhaling the mixed scents of the various flowers.

“It’s nice, right?’ Gura walked up the creaky front steps to the blue front door, pulling out the key fob to search for the right one. “Spent a lot of time on it. And the backyard too.”

“Damn, you grew all this?” Gura nodded, the door creaking open as she let them in.

“With the amount of dirt I ate as a kid, I felt a kinship with these plants,” She said solemnly as she toed her shoes off, beginning to climb upstairs with Calli following. “My parents are just grateful that they don’t have to ask me to water the lawn at least.”

Gura’s room was a cluttered mess, not unlike Ame’s, except with a lot more blue. The ghost floated around the room, eyeing the ukulele case that rested against a desk laden with potato chip bags, papers, and a computer rig balanced atop a textbook. The room, though messy, still had a distinct sense of being lived in; pictures hanging on the walls and a few plushies arranged at the end of the bed.

“I’m going to go take a shower,” Gura chucked the mixtape onto her pillow, the tape bouncing as she grabbed a towel and a change of clothes from the closet, going to the adjoined bathroom. Before closing the door behind her, she shot a wink at Calli. “Don’t peek!”

“Wait, what?! I wouldn’t- I would never- What??” Gura snickered as she shut the door, leaving Calli floating there absolutely flustered.

“Get it together, Mori,” She grumbled to herself, moving over and getting into a seated position on the bed. Calli stared at the shark poster on the wall for a while, wishing it would eat her and get her out of the hell that was listening to a cute girl shower a room over.

“Just a friend, just a friend, plus you’re dead so why are you even panicking,” Calli muttered to herself.

Calli fell silent as she heard the shower shut off, the sound of rustling coming from behind the door and then the drone of a hair dryer. Gura came out after a few minutes, wearing comfy clothes and hair freshly dried from her shower. Calli caught the very weak scent of strawberries and vanilla, cursing her sense of smell.

“Sorry for taking so long,” Gura picked up her ukulele case, plopping down on the bed next to Calli. “Chlorine does a lot of funky stuff to your hair if you don’t take care of it.”

“I bet,” Calli said, thinking that if she were still alive she would have had a heart attack from how close Gura was. “Your shampoo smells really nice.”

Gura laughed, unzipping the case and giving the instrument a strum. “Thanks, Ina got it for me. I was always complaining about how shampoo for dyed hair is so expensive so she got it for me as a gift.”

“She made a good choice,” Calli grinned, pointing at the ukulele. “You know how to play?”

Gura nodded, beginning to tune it. “Yeah, just give me a second.”

“I’ve always wanted to do something with music when I grew up,” Calli picked at her forever chipping crimson nail polish. “Really sucks that I never can,”

“I want to do something with music too but it’s hard to make a career in music,” Gura fiddled with the ukulele. “And I want my parents to be proud of me so,” She shrugged, playing a minor chord. “I swim.”

“You can still balance the two, can’t you?” Calli asked. “Trying to have a good future doesn’t mean giving up the stuff you love.”

“I mean, I try. Ame, Kiara, and Ina are really supportive.” Gura blushed, playing a short scale. “They say I have a good singing voice.”

“Oh sick, can I hear you? Sing, I mean?”

Gura’s face flushed even more, but she began to strum a simple tune. “Yeah, sure,” She mumbled, before clearing her throat.

It was a simple song, and probably more recent too because Calli couldn’t recognize it. Gura’s voice was slightly shaky at first, probably from nerves but they smoothed out after a couple of verses. Her singing was sweet and clear, and Calli found herself transfixed on the girl next to her. She shook out of her haze a few beats after the song ended, clapping and whooping loudly.

“That was amazing man!” Gura laughed and gave a little bow as Calli continued cheering. “Your voice is super nice dude,” Calli floated a few inches higher than before, now fully hovering over the blue bedspread.

“Thanks,” Gura said bashfully, before giving Calli a pointed look. “You said that you wanted to do something with music too. Do you sing?”

Calli laughed nervously, but Gura’s gaze didn’t break away. She coughed. “Yeah, I do. Not as good as you though.”

“I’ll be the judge of that,” Gura’s smile was sharp and fierce, igniting a fire within Calli. “Come on, ghostie. It’s not like you’re going to die.”

“That’s a low blow,” Calli laughed, before looking away for a second. She turned back with a determined look before asking; “Have you ever heard of ‘Fly Me to the Moon?”

Gura hmmed, plucking at the strings before beginning to play the beginning of the song. “Hell yeah, dude.”

Calli smiled, humming along with the simple beat before starting. Like Gura, her voice was slightly rough but soon smoothed out. Gura nodded and joined in as Calli broke into the chorus. For a few minutes, it was just the two of them, singing a song; Calli’s lower voice harmonizing with Gura’s higher octaves. But the song came to an end, Calli trailing off on the last note before silence.

“That was really awesome,” Gura whispered, trying not to break the remnants of the feeling the song brought.

“It was all you man,” Calli responded and Gura grinned deviously.

“No you.”

Calli blinked before cottoning on. “No you.”

Gura threw her hands up in the air, throwing herself down on her pillow with a thump, knees drawn up so they wouldn’t intrude on Calli’s space and ukulele resting on her chest. “It appears we are at a stalemate,” She announced. “We are to fight a duel to the death to determine the true winner.”

“I’m already dead.”

Gura blinked, before groaning. “I completely forgot.”

Calli laughed at the look on her face. “What do I get?” She teased, but Gura sat up and put her ukulele to the side.

“Actually, I have been meaning to give you something!” Calli watched with a smile as Gura got up and ran over to her closet, tugging out a box from underneath a few shirts. She rooted in it for a few seconds before pulling a small device out with a smile. It was gray and rectangular, with a few buttons that Calli recognized to be play, pause, and stop buttons, along with a few others.

“It’s a walkman!” Gura said triumphantly. Calli thought that if she had a tail, it would be wagging. “We can put your mixtape in it and it will be like a protective case,” Gura explained, inserting the tape. “We can also attach it to our belts or something so we don’t have to carry it.”

“That’s really cool,” Gura’s enthusiasm was infectious, Calli meeting her bright smile with one of her own. “Thanks man!”

“Of course,”

“So uh,” Calli asked, watching as Gura set the mixtape, now safely within the walkman, on top of the desk. “I’m going to be with Ina tomorrow right? You have any tips or something.”

Gura snickered. “It’s not a video game, she’s not going to kill you.”

“I don’t know man,” Calli shook her head. “She gets this look in her eyes sometimes…”

And Gura got a similarly frightening look in her eye, one that made Calli shiver. “Well if you’re really worried, I might have just the thing.”

- - -

“You’re just going to leave me?” Calli hissed over the ringing of the doorbell as Gura snickered. The ghost floated there, growing horror on her face as her friend shot finger-guns at her and rushed off.

“Say hi to Ina for me!” Gura tossed over her shoulder as she ran down the sidewalk, before breaking out into laughter.

Calli floated over the worn wooden planks of Ina’s porch, unable to leave. Behind the lavender door there was the sound of footsteps and Calli curiously noted that her senses, once dull and muted, now seemed to be growing stronger. But the thoughts scattered as the door opened, Ina poking her head through the doorway and smiling at Calli.

“Hello,” Calli croaked out, cheeks reddening at her situation. She tried to calm down, pointing at the bouquet of purple flowers that lay neatly bound with a bow atop Calli’s mixtape. “Uhh, those are from… me? I guess? And Gura. It was her idea, you see, and-”

Calli stopped talking as Ina bent down to pick up the flowers, breathing in the scent. Her eyes closed as a soft smile spread across her face, and Calli found herself trying so very hard to memorize this moment; this picture of peace. Ina had the walkman in her hand as well, looking at it curiously.

“That’s new,” She fiddled with it as she began to walk back inside, before looking back up at Calli. “Are you going to come in?”

“Oh, uh,” The ghost floated alongside her friend, rose pink eyes wandering throughout the living room. It had a cozy vibe; with throw pillows and blankets strewn across every surface and books stacked on the coffee table along with a few cups of half-drunk tea.

“Sorry for the mess, Gura only texted me a few minutes ago,” Ina moved around with a calm preciseness, stacking the mugs and moving to place them in the sink of the adjoined kitchen.

“It's all good,” Calli assured, moving to sit on the couch as best as she could. “It’s charming.” She smiled at Ina, who was just coming out of the kitchen with another steaming cup of tea. “I thought you already had a lot of those,” Calli commented as Ina sat down next to her, pulling one of the books onto her lap.

“Yeah but, I need them to help keep me awake.” Ina took a sip, wrinkling her nose as she realized that she had forgotten sugar. “I need to finish this book for this essay assignment we have.”

“Oh ok. You want me to be quiet so you can focus?”

Ina shook her head, grabbing one of the small packets of sugar that she yoinked from the diner whenever she went and tearing it open. She poured the contents into her cup, then licked her finger and dipped it into the bag to lick the remaining sugar off it. Ina smiled at Calli’s surprised face. “I like sweet things. And you can talk, it makes for nice background noise. You got a nice voice.”

Calli leaned back, getting comfortable. “Thanks! I sing a bit, so I really do hope I have a nice voice.”

“Oh really?” Ina leaned forward, her book still unopened in her lap. With Calli’s proximity to Ina, the ghost realized how dark the bags underneath the girl’s eyes were. “Can you sing me a little something?”

Calli chuckled. “Seems like it's a singing day. I’m already warmed up ‘cause I sang with Gura earlier.”

“Mm,” Ina took a sip of their tea, putting it down on a coaster and opening their book to a bookmark. They didn’t start reading though, instead looking expectantly at Calli.

“Oh, uh,” Calli cleared her throat, running through various songs in her head before remembering one that Gura had sang for her a few hours before. “Ok so here’s one, I might be really bad though since I have only really heard it once…” Ina nodded eagerly, Calli blushing as she once again cleared her throat.

She ended up closing her eyes when she got into it, when her voice was breathy and crooning out the chorus sweetly. Maybe she was embarrassed at Ina’s attention, at how fixated they were upon her. She flubbed a line, instead adlibbing with some humming of the tune. Calli opened her eyes when the song finished, blinking as she realized that Ina had fallen asleep, neck crooked and glasses sliding off her nose. She looked so at peace, her dark shadows fading slightly as all the stress lines and worries faded from her face, leaving only pale skin for Calli to gaze at.

Calli tore her eyes away, feeling weird at how intently she had been looking at her friend. They were friends, right? The question slithered through Calli’s ribs, leaving a coldness in its wake. She decided not to think about it.

It was an hour later when Ina shifted, the shadows having lengthened on the floor as night began to fall.

“Oh crap,” Ina blinked and rubbed her eyes, checking her phone screen for the time. “I fell asleep.” She stretched, rolling her neck. “Hrrghh,” They groaned out, Calli smiling at how much they looked like a sleepy cat at that moment. “I got to finish this,” They muttered, opening their book again as it had fallen shut.

“Hey,” Calli said softly. “You seem pretty tired though.”

Ina shrugged, yawning and taking a sip of their tea, making a face at how cold it had gotten. “It’s alright, I can power through this and take a nap afterwards.”

Calli inhaled, strengthening herself with air she didn’t really need, but was still reassuring to take in. “Ina,” She said firmly, floating closer to place a hand over where Ina’s palm rested on the page, the other holding in a shiver. “Please sleep, you look horrible.”

Ina looked down at her book, then back up at Calli’s pleading expression. “A nap sounds nice,” Ina said, beginning to stand. “On one condition.”

Calli nodded, listening.

“You sing me to sleep again?” Ina asked shyly, tucking her orange hair behind her ear. “It was really nice.”

Calli smiled at the other. “Of course, Ina, I would love to. It gives me a chance to stretch the old rusty pipes some more.”

Ina giggled as she shuffled up the stairs, with the mixtape in her hand. Calli floated outside her bedroom door to give them some privacy as they changed. When they called Calli in, Calli just went straight through the door, breathing in the scent of tea leaves and paint. A few easels were scattered around, along with a tablet resting on the desk neatly organized with textbooks, papers, and writing tools. There were sketches on the walls; some of what seemed to be still lifes and others that seemed to be story concepts. And in the corner, as if it was its own little shrine, were profiles of everyone; Ame and her bright smile, Gura in a pool, Kiara laughing. And what seemed to be the newest one, date scrawled in the corner, was Calli.

Calli focused on it, floating closer as Ina prepared for bed. The picture was well drawn, a side profile of her that had her undercut and piercings in their full glory. Her smile was kind and yet, the sharp canines Calli had made her look fierce, her eyes bright and welcoming as she stared at something off the page. The energy in the drawing was like a shot in the heart, at how Ina had so easily captured her image. Calli felt her heart warm at the thought of this being what Ina saw in her.

The others were similarly done, drawn in a steady hand and inked. Kiara looked so free that Calli’s heart ached, Gura’s eyes closed as her smile made Calli grin back. Ame was sitting on the ground, a hat next to her as a dog sat in her lap, hands running through its fur.

So this is what Ina sees, Calli thought, tracing an indistinct hand over Gura’s strong lines. Her movement created a small gust of wind that shifted the paper slightly, revealing a group image hidden behind it. It was of all of them, Ina having painstakingly drawn the background of their school it seemed, Kiara sitting on the steps as Gura bounced, Ame clearly smiling at the two as Ina leaned against Kiara. And it seemed that there was a recent addition; Calli floating next to Gura with a smoky haze coming off of her, a grin aimed at Ame.

But before Calli could inspect anymore, the bathroom door creaked open, Ina exiting and chucking her day clothes into her hamper in the closet.

“Alright,” Ina said yawning, dressed in a large blue shirt and pajama pants. Calli settled into Ina’s desk chair as Ina curled up under her sheets, glasses folded up on her bedside table.

“You ready?’ Calli asked and at Ina’s nod, began singing another song that Gura had shown her.

“I was scared of dentists and the dark. I was scared of pretty girls and starting conversations, oh,”

- - -

It was Kiara’s turn with Calli, and the day found them by the lake near the town, Kiara’s bike propped up against a nearby tree. Calli’s anchor rested atop a boulder, on a small spot that wasn’t smeared in duck shit. Kiara was throwing rocks in the lake as Calli walked within the limitations of her mixtape, gazing at the sky and the birds that swam idly in the water.

“This is like the closest I have ever gotten to one of these before,” Calli was crouched next to a sitting duck, childlike wonder in her eyes. “Usually, they honk bloody murder and then run at you like you just ate their children.”

“Yup. I’m pretty sure there’s something in the water,” Kiara said as she rooted around on the beach looking for more pebbles to throw. “Ina got pecked pretty badly once, she was drawing at the picnic table in the birds ‘territory.” She chuckled at the memory. “Gura ended up picking them up and running away.”

Calli smiled at the story, standing up and walking back over to Kiara. “Gura’s strong, huh.”

“Very,” Kiara’s cheeks were flushed as she placed another stone atop the growing pile she had collected, Calli raising her eyebrow but saying nothing.

“The lake shrunk,” She instead commented, floating down to sit, though she was really just hovering over the rough surface of the beach. “There used to be a river that led into here,” She pointed to a copse of trees surrounding a bench and table, where the parking lot cut into green grass.

“Oh yeah!” Kiara sat next to her, idly throwing a stone up and down. “I forgot you’ve been around here longer than, well, all of us.”

“Yeah,” Calli stretched her long legs out, looking out at the lake’s surface. “How long have you been here?”

Kiara let out a bitter chuckle, throwing her rock into the lake and watching the birds flutter their wings agitatedly. “I moved here half a year ago,”

“Oh,” Calli’s brow furrowed, eyes darting to the budding leaves on the trees and combining it with what she was told about her new friend group. “So you joined-”

“High school in the middle of the year, basically,” Kiara’s voice was flat, no emotion coming through as she dropped a rock to pick up another.

“Huh,” Calli shifted uncomfortably. “You and the others seemed really comfortable with each other though,”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Kiara turned to look at Calli, an impassive look on her face.

Calli quickly backtracked, waving her arms around in what she hoped was a placating gesture. “I didn’t mean it like that! I just was saying that you were all really familiar with each other and that’s nice and-”

“I was kidding, Calliope,” Kiara’s smile was weak.

“Oh,” Calli searched around for some way to lighten the atmosphere. “I was kind of like that. Except for the fact that I have lived in this place for all my life. And all my unlife, I guess.”

“It’s like, you’re stuck in one place while I’m as untethered as one can be,” Kiara chuckled dryly, throwing a stick into the lake, its impact sending ripples over its dark surface as if bobbed in the waves.

“We’re perfect opposites.”

Kiara smiled weakly. “Life and death.”

Calli didn’t like the look of sadness on Kiara’s face, how it draped itself over her features and dimmed her light. “Well come on then,” She tried, hand floating over Kiara’s own. “Enough of that weak ass rock-throwing, skip it like you mean it.”

Kiara looked at Calli, down at the rock in her hand, and back to Calli, confusion clear on her face. “Skip it?”

Calli spluttered, her form flickering from the emotional whiplash of what she was going through. “You don’t know how to skip rocks? I thought that was like, a thing all kids did…”

“You must have had a weird childhood then,” Kiara chucked another pebble. “At least you had one.” The last part was a mutter, and Calli barely caught it.

The sadness was creeping over her again, so Calli chopped her ghostly hand down through Kiara’s wrist.

“Oh god!” Kiara dropped the rock as her hand spasmed, gripping her wrist in her other hand. “What the hell was that?”

“Knocking you back to your senses before you got all emo on me again,” Calli tried to sound confident as she pointed at the flat pebble in Kiara’s hand. “Okay, that one will work. So, you’re going to want to stand with your non-dominant shoulder facing the water.”

Kiara slowly shifted into the position Calli directed her into. “Uhh, what are you doing right now?”

“Teaching you how to skip rocks,” Calli mirrored Kiara’s position, miming having a rock in her hand. “So now, you are going to lean back onto your back foot,” She demonstrated the movement, before looking at Kiara’s grip on the rock. “And don’t forget to have your pointer finger and thumb in a sort of C shape, yeah?”

Kiara slowly got into the stance shown, putting her weight on her back foot like Calli told her to. Calli floated behind her, arm superimposing over hers to show her how the elbow was supposed to bend. Kiara shivered slightly, but gritted her teeth at the numbing sensation.

“It’s all in the wrist, Kiara.” Calli moved back to give her space. “It’s all in the wrist.”

Kiara inhaled, then it out, flicking her wrist awkwardly and it ended up flying into a tree. The two stared at where the rock sat by the tree’s roots for a beat, before bursting out in laughter.

“You still need to use your arm, Kiara!” Calli said while Kiara gasped for breath, as she didn’t really need to breathe. “Move the arm but don’t forget to flick the wrist!”

Kiara heaved, body bent double before getting back into position, face red from exertion. She leaned onto her back foot, moved her arm, and flicked the wrist.

“Woohoo, that’s what I’m talking about!” Calli cheered as the rock flew over the surface of the lake, managing three skips before sinking.

“You’re like a dad!” Kiara laughed as she stood straight again, and Calli could swear that if she still had a heart, it would have skipped a beat. She shook the feeling off and mock scowled.

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?”

Kiara chuckled as she picked up another rock and weighed it in her hand. “You’re teaching me how to skip rocks right now! What’s next, a game of catch?”

“I don’t know how that’s supposed to work,” Calli bent down to pick up a rock, pointedly raising an eyebrow when her hand went right through. “You know?”

“Eh, Ame will figure it out,” Kiara threw another, watching it as it skipped twice. “She really likes you, you know?”

Calli floated there, so quiet that Kiara looked at her in concern. “You good?” She asked.

“Yeah,” Calli said faintly. “Just, you guys are weird.”

Kiara laughed, walking over to the boulder to grab Calli’s mixtape. “I won’t take offense to that.”

“I didn’t mean it that way anyways,” Calli smiled shyly. “You guys are really cool. Never really had friends like this before.”

“Well, you know. Good friends are accepting; of whether you’re dead, whether you are way too into detective stories,” Calli giggled at the not-so-subtle jab. “Good friends kiss each other sometimes too, you know.” Kiara winked as the ghost attempted a second death by choking.

“Wha-” Kiara laughed at Calli’s stunned expression.

“I’m kidding! Or am I?” She raised an eyebrow mysteriously at Calli, relishing the flustered look on Calli’s face. “Come on now,” Kiara looked at her phone, smiling even brighter at the message she received. “Gura’s coming with the others to pick us up!”

- - -

“Are you sure this is safe?” Calli asked nervously, the walkman sitting in one of the cupholders. They were all sitting in Ame’s truck (Or in Calli’s case, floating), as Gura drove them to the local Walmart.

Ame chuckled, sitting shotgun next to Gura. “Considering you’re already dead, you’re the safest out of all of us.” Gura turned to glare at her while Kiara yelled for her to keep her eyes on the road.

“I’d like to see you drive when you’re only four foot something.”

“And I think Kiara wants you to just see you look at the road, Gura,” Ina said, holding onto Kiara for dear life. “And I do too.”

The car went over a speedbump that caused a strange cracking sound to reverberate through the car’s interior, the bike rattling in the trunk as Ina groaned slightly and buried her face in Kiara’s shoulder.

“I don’t think that’s supposed to happen,” Calli said, indistinct form flickering with every shake of the car.

“Definitely not,” Kiara whispered.

There were a lot of empty spaces as the car pulled in front of the store, so there wasn’t much issue as Gura slid into the spot with a wheeze and a gurgle of the engine. Ina let out the breath they had been holding ever since Ame reached back to grab their hand after Gura almost rolled over a curb.

The group fell out of the car like a bunch of clowns, the backseaters gasping for air as Gura strolled out from the driver’s side with her thumbs hooked into her overalls suspenders.

“Thank you for driving with Gura Gas’n’Go, on a scale of one to five, how would you rate your driver?”

Kiara pointed at her with a shaky hand, doubled over and leaning against the car door for support. “One for customer endangerment, but I’ll raise it to a three since the driver’s pretty.”

Gura gasped, tucking the walkman into her overall’s front pocket. “I’m only worth two stars? An absolute travesty, oh woe is me.”

“I’ll raise it to four stars for a kiss,” Kiara looked queasy, but somehow managed to still shoot off a flirtatious grin. Calli rolled her eyes as they began to walk to the entrance.

The Walmart was similar to the parking lot; practically deserted, with only a few other customers puttering around the store with their carts. Gura immediately hopped in one of the carts by the front, hugging her knees to her chest and grinning at Ame.

“We have a record to beat, Watson.”

The others of the group groaned, save for Watson who instead grinned back and jogged over, beginning to push the shopping cart into the store as the others followed.

Calli looked nervous as she watched Ina and Kiara share smirks and walk off to the snack aisle. “Uh, what’s this record about, if I can ask?”

She followed the slowly moving cart as Ame moved them to the end of the store, Gura drumming her fingers on the wiring of the cart’s side. “It’s basically where we try to make the cart go as fast as possible without getting caught,” Gura explained, as Ame began to jog through an aisle. She sounded way too calm as the wheels of the cart started to squeak alarmingly loud. “You think I’m a bad driver, now you’ll see Ame work this cart.”

Ame flicked the back of Gura’s head, the girl in the cart yelping loudly as Calli opened her mouth to say something. But by then the ghost was already a little ways behind, instinctively not going along with the cart. But as her anchor was in Gura’s pocket…

Kiara turned a corner, heading into the next aisle. “You think Ame wants goldfish?” She asked Ina, holding her hand while looking through the arranged displays.

“Yeah,” Ina agreed, before picking up a small box of pocky. “For Gura,” She explained when Kiara gave her a questioning look.

“Ah, ok,” Kiara turned a little to the side as Ina headed further into the aisle. She blinked as she saw Calli begin to speak, her form reflecting the lights from the luminescent bulbs in a way that made Kiara’s brain ache slightly. “Oh hey, Calli-” Kiara started to say, before she heard a cut-off yell and Calli pop out of existence.

Kiara felt a flicker of fear, but was able to hear Calli yelling at Ame to slow down from a few aisles over.

“They having fun?” Ina asked, coming over to ask whether Kiara wanted the green or red ring pops.

“Pretty sure,” Kiara said absentmindedly, before turning back to Ina and blinking at the rings on offer. Ina groaned at the smile the package earned. “Why Ina dear,” Kiara purred. “Is this a proposal? In a Walmart? Scandalous.”

“If I was getting you a ring, I’d get something better.” Kiara stood there, not processing the words for a few seconds as Ina placed the two flavors on top of the growing armful of snacks and walked away. Kiara watched their retreating back for a few seconds before squawking and almost dropping everything.

“Wait, Ina, you tease,” She ran after Ina, the other’s smile not able to be seen by Kiara just yet.

“I’m literally going to drag you both into hell, you fu-” Calli’s curse was cut off as the cart took a sharp left around the corner, it now going fast enough for Ame to have to hop on the bottom portion to catch her breath. Calli had been left behind by the cart for the third time, once again having to be yanked back to the anchor in Gura’s pocket with a clean ‘pop’ and a groan.

“What was that Calli?” Gura’s grin was downright devilish. “You going to take us to your place without buying us a drink?”

“Oooh,” Ame leaned in with a matching smirk as Calli groaned, beginning to follow the cart at a speed that meant she wouldn’t get yanked anymore.

“You’re both underaged,” Calli hissed out, before a loud crackle was heard throughout the store.

“Can the children in aisle fourteen, please stop running around,” The speaker rang through the store, Ame freezing in place as the cart slid a few more feet, inches away from slamming into a display of watermelons. Ame and Gura giggled as they speed walked to the other two, Calli floating close behind with a slightly paler complexion than normal as Kiara and Ina, who were each carrying an armful of goodies, met them in front of the produce section.

“You’re going to get us banned someday,” Ina sighed, but her eyes twinkled as she dumped the snacks in the cart.

“But that day is not today,” Calli said resignedly, the others staring at her before laughing.

A warm feeling made itself known in Calli’s chest as the loudspeaker crackled once again, an employee announcing that the store was closing soon. The group hurried to the registers to pay, Gura smiling at one of the people manning the register who looked at her windswept hair with suspicion.

It was dark out when they exited, the expanse of the parking lot becoming a sea of shadow and asphalt. Ame and Ina walked ahead, Ina occasionally flicking a goldfish cracker at Ame’s face while the other attempted to catch it in her mouth. Looking at the trail of fish left on the ground, Ame wasn’t doing very well.

“So are you guys, like, all dating?” The question came out of nowhere, Gura choking a little on her pocky. The group stopped by a lamppost, the weak light flickering every so often and creating a pale circle of illuminated ground. Crickets chirped and the air was cool, the world seeming to hold its breath at Calli’s question.

“It’s complicated?” Ame said nervously, chewing on a cracker. “Like, it isn’t set in stone but-”

“I would like it to be set in stone,” Kiara said suddenly, blushing at the stares she got. “I mean like, you know.” She looked down, shuffling slightly. “I, really,” Her voice trailed off, getting so quiet that the buzz of the lampposts drowned her out.

“Come on Kiara,” Ame said, smiling reassuringly at her as she stepped forward to take Kiara’s hand. “You can say it.”

“It’s not like we don’t feel the same way,” Ina chimed in, moving forward with Gura to take her other hand, Gura putting an arm on her shoulder.

Kiara was tearing up, squeezing Ame and Ina’s hands. “I love you guys.” Ame chuckled, drawing her into a hug that Ina and Gura glomped onto.

“Love you too, birdie.” The blonde pressed a kiss to Kiara’s nose, the already flustered girl blushing almost as bright as her hair.

Gura pouted. “I get one too!” She moved forward a little bit too energetically to kiss Kiara, accidentally bumping their noses together, making it end up as a meeting of smiles. Gura drew away to give her a peck on the cheek instead as Ina reached down to grab Kiara’s hand again.

“And me?’ Ina asked flirtatiously, pressing a smiling kiss to Kiara’s knuckles, Kiara letting go of Ina to gently take their face in her hands.

“Of course, Liebling,” And Kiara gave Ina a firm kiss on the mouth that caused Ame to whoop aloud, Gura laughing bright and airy as Calli melded into shadow, all in the confines of a dark Walmart parking lot.

- - -

“Why just me?” Ina asked, stirring her milkshake. The diner wasn’t as crowded as it usually was, instead carrying the slow atmosphere of a Sunday afternoon.

Ame poked at her slice of chocolate cake, taking a bite. “I figured that I should spread the d-dates around,” The word was so light in her mouth, and sweet, but that might just be the cake. “My wallet can only take so much, you know. Gives me time to save up.”

Ina nodded slowly, sipping her drink with her eyes trained on Ame’s. The blonde blushed, looking back down at her cake. “Hey,” Ina said softly, reaching her hand out to rest it atop Ame’s limp hand. The fork clattered to the table as Ame’s shoulders started to shake. “Hey, hey,” Growing worry was laced in Ina’s tone, the girl standing to shift to Ame’s booth, sliding in to hold her gently. “It’s alright, I got you.”

Condensation gathered on the side of Ina’s tall glass, dripping down to pool on the table. The wind blew softly outside, the trees bending ever so slightly. Leaves swirled atop the concrete, flurries and eddies drifting through the streets. Ame seemed to calm down, leaning into Ina’s shoulder with her blonde hair still covering her eyes. Ina reached a hand up, tucking the stray strands behind Ame’s ear.

Ina knew time still went on; people still muttered at their tables, the steady clink of silverware and glasses background noise. Cars still drove by, passengers heading to unknown destinations. But when Ame looked up at her, cheeks dewy with tears and blue eyes shining with unshed ones, Ina felt her breath catch in her chest.

“Are you alright?” Ina asked, hand moving to cup Ame’s cheek, thumb tracing over her cheekbones.

Ame seemed to be knocked out of her haze, blinking and staring up into Ina’s worried eyes. Her breath puffed out warm on Ina’s cheeks, smelling faintly of chocolate. Dimly, Ina wondered if she tasted of it too. She got the answer when Ame leaned forward slowly and kissed her.

Yes indeed, Ina thought, her eyes fluttering shut. She did taste like chocolate.

Ame pulled back an inch, nose bumping against Ina’s lightly as she went to touch Ina’s dyed locks, running her fingers up to trail along Ina’s sharp jaw.

“I just didn’t think I would ever have something like this,” Ame whispered, eyes tracing over Ina’s face like she was studying for a test; memorizing everything and taking it to heart. “Especially with all of you.”

“Lucky you,” Ina whispered back. “You deserve it.” And they kissed Ame again, vanilla milkshake and chocolate on their tongue.

Ame’s phone rang once they left, an hour later, with reddened cheeks after the manager had shot them a few dirty looks for making out in the booth. Before Ame answered the call, she ran around to Ina’s other side to take her hand, using her right to take her phone out of her coat’s deep pocket. Ina rolled her eyes at Ame’s antics, as the sound of Gura’s ringtone was no longer muffled and rang out loudly in the street.

“Yeah?” Ame greeted. They walked on for a bit, Ina humming as they wandered aimlessly through the town. But Ame stopped, Ina turning to the other with a questioning look.

Ame’s face was pale, and shot a bolt of fear to Ina’s heart, sending her mind racing with the possibilities of what Gura could have said.

“Calli,” Ame swallowed dryly. “Calli’s mixtape is gone.”

- - -

“We gotta go find her Ame!” Kiara was pacing frantically, her earrings bouncing with every step. They were arranged in Ame’s room, Ina and Ame having rushed over after Gura’s call. Their other partner had sounded almost frantic, as her bag had been taken during her swim practice, the bag that had held Calli’s walkman.

“We will,” Ame tried to soothe her, her girlfriend? The thought made her heart skip a beat as she took a hold of Kiara’s hand, getting her to stop pacing and look at her. “But it isn’t safe to go running around at night.”

“But I can’t lose her, Ame,” She sounded frantic, hands squeezing Ame’s own until her fingers went numb. “Not when I’m about to lose you guys too.”

Ame felt a wave of cold run through her at the admission. “What?” She asked faintly, letting go to sit on her bed, eyes staring blankly at Kiara.

Kiara’s shoulders were shaking, tears beginning to stream down her face. “I’m going to move in a few weeks.” There was a silence as Kiara continued. “My father changed jobs again, so we need to leave. And- and it’s really far from here.” She hiccuped.

“Oh,” Gura whispered, her already small form shrinking in the dim light of Ame’s lamp.

“We can keep in touch!” Ina tried. “You have our numbers, right?”

“That’s what they always say,” Kiara said morosely, slumping in Ame’s desk chair with her eyes scrunched shut as tears began to well up.

“Well, we aren’t them!” Gura said stubbornly, broad shoulders thrown back and brow furrowed in determination. “I’m going to call you every night. I’ll stow away in your backpack if I have to!”

Kiara furiously wiped her tears away, a small smile growing at Gura’s statement. “You would probably fit. Too heavy though.”

Gura gave a wet laugh as Ame gently took hold of Kiara’s wrist, pulling her on top of her bed. For once Kiara didn’t make a comment, instead just curling up on the covers and leaning into Ame. Gura crawled into the newly forming cuddle pile, laying half on top of Kiara with one hand rubbing circles on the distraught girl’s shoulder. Ina came up behind, spooning Ame and reaching over the group to take Gura’s hand in her own, stilling the motion but providing a comforting weight to Kiara.

They lay there for a bit, Kiara’s sniffles occasionally garnering a light shush from Gura and a kiss on the cheek.

“We’ll, we will talk about this,” Ame said after a bit, when Gura was almost sure that Kiara had fallen into a fitful sleep. “We will talk about this, but we’re missing someone important.”

Ame felt Ina nod behind her. “We need Calli,”

Kiara hiccuped, both her and Gura nodding as well. The group knew their relationship had grown into what it was now because of Calli. Their beautiful ghost was a part of this mess now.

“Where do you think they took the bag?” Gura asked, shifting slightly to lie on her back so she could look at Kiara and Ame.

Ame thought for a second before snapping her fingers, the light returning to her eyes. “The house on Cover street! All the stuff we saw there, the spray cans on the porch, that couldn’t have just been the owners!”

Ina began to smile as she began to get what Ame was saying. “The door isn’t locked, a lot of people don’t go there.”

“It’s the perfect place to hide stuff!” Gura finished.

“But what if she isn’t there,” Kiara whispered, cuddling a little closer to Gura. “What then?”

Ame gave Kiara a reassuring smile, leaning over Gura to peck her on the cheek. “She will be there.” She pressed her forehead to Kiara’s, a comforting action. “I just know it.”

“We’re the five ghostbusters,” Gura said, beginning to get out of the bed. “No one gets left behind.”

“Weren’t there four ghostbusters though?” Ina asked, pulling on her varsity jacket. “And didn’t they catch ghosts?”

“Then we’re a new thing,” Ame grinned at the others, pulling on her own jacket with a flourish, foregoing her usual coat. “Still catching ghosts though, so let’s go get ours.”

- - -

It was the awkward time of day where the sun was beginning to set but it was still high enough to burn. The shadows were lengthening as they jogged towards the house, its looming shape no longer as terrifying as it was before, now that they knew its contents.

As they ran, Kiara heard Ame whisper underneath her breath, “Please be there, please be there”, she prayed with her jacket flapping along as they ran.

The house was the same as they remembered it, albeit with a few more layers of dust, bird crap, and spray paint. It probably was a beautiful house once, but time wasn’t as kind as it should be to things of beauty. They slowed as they reached the dusty lawn and Gura gasped as she spotted her black and blue workout bag sitting on the steps, a few items scattered across the porch.

They walked slowly over, tension in the air and not even minding the dust. The door was opened slightly as Gura leaned down, picking up her cap (slightly dirtied) and towel (biochemical weapon probably). Ina held her breath as Gura searched inside the bag, but let it out in a sob as Gura looked up with sad eyes and a shake of her head.

“Damn it,” Ame whispered. “Damn it!” She whirled around and punched the wood next to the door frame, the unshattered glass panes vibrating in their frames. The door creaked open, letting the midday light in, revealing-

“Oh no,” Kiara whispered, as they all caught sight of the beaten and broken mixtape. She stumbled forward, falling on her knees and picking up the sad remains of the device. Tape was strewn along the ground, shards of plastic still held together by a prayer.

“Does this mean-” Gura whispered, not wanting to even speak of what could be.

They were silent, a cold breeze blowing. Even with the varsity jackets, they all felt cold.

“We didn’t get to tell her-” Ina hiccuped, interrupting her sentence. But before she could continue, the wind suddenly shifted, warmth gathering behind the group, on the worn porch steps.

“Tell me what?” The whole group whirled around, Kiara with a small scream in the back of her throat. And standing before them was their dearly loved, dearly departed ghost.

“How?” Ame whispered after a beat. “I thought, we thought that if the mixtape broke it would be over.”

Calli shrugged. “And I thought so too.”

Gura took a slow step forward, then another, before running and leaping at Calli. Ame was about to call out, but instead of falling through her, Calli caught her. Even Gura seemed shocked by the turn of events, patting at Calli’s newly formed body.

“What happened?” Gura asked, her examination done for now, leaning in and nestling into Calli’s side. The poor, former?, ghost seemed flustered.

“Those shitheads took your bag and ran off with it, saying something about reselling the stuff in it and such. So when they finally reached my old house, I just burst out. Tried to scare them, and it worked, but when one of them dropped the bag and they all started running, it must have been trampled.”

“Then how are you still here?” Kiara asked, standing up to move and take Calli’s other hand.

Ame snapped her fingers, pointing at Ina. “That book that was in the house, the one you read. It said that objects were possessed by the person who had a large emotional connection to it.”

“Well, I did listen to that tape a lot,” Calli looked slightly confused. “It was the one that had my favorites on it. My dad and I would listen to it together.”

“So Calli’s connection to the mixtape is what made it her first anchor,” Kiara said, beginning to piece it together. “Then that means she somehow made another anchor before the first was broken.”

“Then what would it be?” Gura bit her lip, sitting down with a thump on the creaky floorboards.

“Is it possible,” Ina said slowly. “That the anchor could be a person? Or people?”

The group shared a look, Calli looking hopelessly lost, before all of them were scrambling inside the house. Ina was the first to reach where the book had been, picking it up and flipping through the pages to find the whereabouts of the chapter that she had been reading.

“Emotional aura, ghostly imprints, shifts in subjects’ mood near objects,” Ina’s finger skimmed down the pages as she turned one page, then another, before shutting the book with a dusty thump. “Nothing about living anchors.”

“Well we know that whatever the object or person, is, it has to be near Calli,” Ame mused, beginning to pace. Now that they had found Calli, the air was slightly more relaxed. “What about we see how far Calli can go from the house before she’s yanked back, just so we can be sure it’s here?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Kiara agreed. Calli nodded, beginning to float back down the hallway and halfway through the door before the others heard a yelp, and with a pop, she was back with the group.

Gura snorted. “Well that answers that.”

“So the anchors here.” Calli floated in place, frowning slightly. “If the object is in the house, it has to be on this floor, or else I’d start to feel the sort of tug of the yanking thing.”

“Okay…” Ame nodded along before grinning brightly. “So just move back to the point just before you were yanked, and try to pinpoint where you are being pulled!”

“Exactly, you’re a genius, Ame!” The blonde blushed at the praise, waving it off.

Calli floated away again, this time with a determined expression. As she reached the farthest point she could go, she frowned. She felt the tugging, the not so subtle pull that she was getting too far away from that which held her to this realm. But this was different; instead of a strong pull in one direction, it was a slightly weaker one in four. She turned around, face slack, the girls staring in worry.

“What is it?” Gura asked. “Please don’t tell me it’s your deep emotional attachment to this carpet or something.”

“It’s you guys,” Calli whispered. She floated back a bit more, and the tug increased to a yank, her body disappearing and reforming to the closest girl to her; Gura, who had been nearest to the door anyways. Calli felt the burning of tears, but knew from experience that they couldn’t be shed in this form. “You guys are my anchors. But how?”

“Deep emotional attachment,” Ame answered. “You must like us a lot.”

“Probably likes me the most though,” Gura teased. “After all, she was yanked to me.”

“ I think it's more of just, whoever is closest to me in the required range.” Calli floated to the right then, up the stairs, before she was yanked back, this time to Kiara who was standing near the banister.

The claim now proven, Ina realized something. “Oh, so this means we can travel safely without fear of losing the tape.” They nudged Ame gently, who stood next to her confused at the touch, before Ina sighed and poked at her jacket pocket.

“Oh!” Ame reached in and pulled out what appeared to be a stapled sheaf of paper, Calli managing to catch a glimpse of what appeared to be a few addresses and names. “So, I uh, did some research and-”

“You found my parents,” Calli’s voice seemed almost dead, as much as a ghost’s voice could be. She floated there, next to Kiara, almost seeming to wobble like an unstable video from a projector.

“Yeah…” Ame shuffled slightly, offering the stack to Calli. “Do you, do you want to know? To see them?”

“I don't,” Calli heaved in a breath, hands fidgeting in front of her. “I don't want my parents to have gone through the loss of me only to see me like this. I don’t want to hurt them more. But I do want to know what happened, just. Not right now.”

“I understand,” Ame said, folding up the paper and putting it back in her pocket.

“Then what are you going to do?” Gura asked as Calli’s form began to fade and smudge at the edges, Kiara reaching forward to take a hold of her hand.

“I don’t know. But I guess I’m stuck with you guys anyways.” Calli tried for a weak smile, but her eyes flickered over to Ina and Ame, noting their closeness.

Kiara caught the split-second glance, and rolled her eyes. “Why are all the people I like clueless,” She muttered before squeezing Calli’s hand slightly to remind her that she was there. Calli looked at her questioningly as Kiara let go of her hand to put her hands on her hips.

“You see Calli, we didn’t want to overwhelm you after all this mess, but we think, as a group, that you are really pretty,” Kiara said in a rather slow fashion as if she were talking to a child. It still went straight over Calli’s head though.

“Oh, uh, thanks I guess?” Calli floated there awkwardly, now fully immaterial.

Ina was the first to catch on, sighing in exasperation. “She doesn’t mean it platonically, Calli.”

“None of us do,” Gura chimed in, leaning in.

Calli still looked rather confused before it began to dawn on her, along with a searing blush. “W-was this a group decision?” She stuttered out.

Ame made a so-so gesture with her hand, saying, “Welll, it’s more of a series of decisions that eventually led to a group decision, but yes. We all think you are pretty, Calli. In a romantic sense.”

“Well, I, listen-” Calli was clearly floundering, and all the others seemed to find a sort of joy in the response they had garnered.

“Yeah? We’re listening, Calli,” Gura said, as Ina held in a chuckle.

Calli evidently hadn’t thought of anything to really say, but still managed a lame, “But I’m a ghost…”

“And?” Kiara leaned forward, eyes glinting.

“How am I supposed to kiss you then?” Calli’s face, now carrying a sense of solidity, glowed like a traffic light at what she had just said aloud as Kiara pouted at the newfound hurdle. “Uhhh,” Calli’s brain was in panic mode, as Ame gasped for breath to speak.

“We’ll figure it out,” Ame, fluttered her fingers through Calli’s own. “I, Amelia Watson, the descendant of the great detectives, swear it!” Her chest puffed out, grin so sure that Calli believed her.

“Ame, Sherlock and Watson weren’t real,” Ina sighed, poking her shoulder.

“Not with that attitude, they weren’t!”

“That doesn’t make any sense, Ame” Gura sighed, rolling her eyes before sharing a conspiratorial wink with Calli, one that sent shivers down her pseudo-spine.

“Well I’m here now,” Ame argued, and she took Gura’s hand, kissing the knuckles and relishing the ‘eep’ the action got. “Going to be a legacy, you see.”

“Going to figure out ghost kissing?” Calli said hoarsely, eyes flickering predatorial in the low light. Ame’s mouth gaped open like a gasping fish, Calli chuckling before leaning forward and pressing a kiss to her cheek. “Benefits to having multiple anchors.” She said in the blonde’s ear, feeling the heat radiate from her skin.

“And multiple girlfriends too,” Kiara said, eyes glimmering as she took advantage of Calli’s solidity to take her by the shoulder and give her a peck. “Been wanting to do that for a while,” She whispered.

“Sorry I took so long,” Calli smiled as Ina moved forward, pressing a kiss to Kiara’s cheek before facing Calli.

“I would just like to say,” She said with an impassive expression. “That Gura put me up to this.”

“Oh no,” Calli muttered as Ina continued.

“You sing really well, but there are other things you could be doing with that mouth, big shot,” Ina said, cheeks pale pink, and Calli barely had enough time to appreciate the view before Ina was standing on her tiptoes and kissing Calli.

Calli was still dead, she knew that for sure. There was no coming back. But somehow, she was still here. Sure she could float now, and could phase through walls, but she’d gotten an upgrade; could also touch things, feel things. And right now, she felt Ina’s lithe body, warm and strong press against her own. Ina stepped back, a small smile on their face.

“Good?” She asked sweetly like she hadn’t just gotten Calli addicted to something sweeter than candy.

“Yeah,” Calli breathed out, before she was whirled around to face Gura, who stood there with hands on her hips.

“Looks like I’m going last huh?”

Calli smiled, hovering a little bit lower as her hand cupped Gura’s cheek. “That’s where the best goes.”

“Mhhmm, smooth talker,” Gura whispered, before kissing her. She was salty but sweet, the salt and sugar that was her personality fed to Calli by a warm tongue that slipped between her teeth.

“Hey!” Kiara pushed them apart, wagging a finger in front of Calli’s face as she once again went incorporeal. “Ame and I get a peck and Gura gets tongue? Horrible, I’m complaining to management.”

“Management is right there, birdie, go get ‘em.” Ame smiled at Calli who shook her head in faux disappointment before disappearing, reappearing right behind Ame.

“Go get her,” She laughed, as she watched Kiara get in a good-natured argument with Gura, the two face to face and honestly so close that Calli was convinced they were going to start making out in less than ten seconds.

“Are we still going to talk about it?” Ina asked Ame, sitting down next to her and grabbing her hand.

Ame hummed, leaning back as Calli floated down to sit next to her. “We will have to. One day. But right now I think we should leave it alone.”

“Cause this is home no matter what?” Ina said teasingly, Ame making a gagging notion at the sappiness.

“I mean, yeah,” Kiara and Gura stopped their argument-turned-flirting session to look at Calli, Ame and Ina looking at her as well. She grinned at the four, hair flowing even in the lack of wind and ghostly halo radiating from her head. “You guys are my home.”

“Sap,” Ame whispered, Calli manifesting enough energy to let her leg get solid enough for Ame to rest her hand on it.

“That’s me,” Calli grinned. “And I love you guys.”