I See You

I See You(Charli D. Olson) Chapter 1
The Ghost

I heaved a heavy, depressed sigh, staring out the window in my bedroom as I sat on the window seat. The dreary scene outside stared gloomily back at me, adding to my mood. It'd been only a few weeks since my father had passed and still, I hadn't seen him. Why would you see him, you might ask, if he had already died? Well, that question is answered with the obvious: I can see the dead.

That line may seem corny, but it's not a lie. It's the truth. I see spirits and try to block them from my life. It just makes things enormously easier. Sometimes, though, they are persistent and I end up helping them "cross over" into the light or whatever it is after life. I haven't seen it. I've only seen a spirit disappear in front of my eyes and they never come back. They seem happy when they go, so that helps rise my mood.

How, might you ask, am I able to see ghosts?

In truth, I don't really know. I just know that when my aunt passed away when I was around eleven years old, I've been able to. It hasn't been easy, since my mother strongly doesn't believe in the paranormal. Thankfully, my father had. He had been my rock. The one person I had been able to lean on with my little "gift" who would understand and try to help me. But now he was gone. Taken from me in a stupid gang bang. He had been beaten to death.

Does any of his family know why? No. And it kills me to this day. But I struggle day by day to get by without him. And since I had been so distracted recently, the ghosts were able to show up whenever. I couldn't think enough to block them from my line of sight. It drove me crazy now, but they finally took the hint that I wasn't going to be any help to them so they eventually take off.

My best friend in the whole world, Danielle Kalaway, tried to help me in my time of need. But whatever she did never had a lasting effect. The next day I would still be down in the mouth and wouldn't want to do anything besides sit in my room. My mother was no help what-so-ever to me, now. She had taken to drinking when my dad died and now she was constantly drunk.

She had never liked alcohol before. She hated just the word. But now it was her medication, and she was utterly addicted. I could understand why she'd turned to it. It numbed the pain, made things easier to bear. I just hated that she wasn't my rock like my father had been. I hated the fact that the one time I needed her most, she wasn't there.

I hadn't been to school ever since the visit from the Hill View police. I could remember it as if it were yesterday. Their solemn faces as I opened the door. The one officer standing in front of me took off his hat and brought it over his heart. "I'm so sorry, but may we come in? Something has happened with your father . . . ."

I had stepped aside and let them enter. They continued to explain by saying that my father had been cornered by one of the gangs here. That he had been brutally beaten and shot and died due to his injuries. There was nothing the hospital could do for him once a neighbor had brought him in. Mom's face was wiped clean of emotion, tears budding in her brown eyes as she listened.

My heart had felt heavy and cold in my chest. My whole body had seemed frozen. Tears had escaped me as soon as they had begun talking. I had tried to hug my mother, but she hadn't put her arms around me. She hadn't comforted me. She had just sat there as still as a statue until the police said, "We're sorry for your loss. He was a great man," and left.

Tears bloomed in my eyes just remembering staring at my emotionless mother sit on the couch for hours. She still hasn't come to comfort me, I thought. I hastily wiped at the tears in my eyes before they could fall. I had run to my bedroom right after that. I put myself to sleep crying. The next day, I had called Danielle and told her. She had come over instantly and put her arms around me as I cried into her shoulder.

I turned my attention back to the scene out my window. The gray sky, the sound of rain pattering against the glass just adding more despair and sorrow to my mind. I shook my head and raked my black hair out of my face. Nothing seemed happy anymore. Nothing seemed bright. Color had seemed to drain right out of everything I looked at now. It was all just black and gray for me. Meaningless, even.

A knock on my door pulled my attention away from the outside.

"Yes?" I called in a flat voice.

My mother opened the door. Seeing her dark brown, long hair combed up in a ponytail made my heart leap to my throat. Was she finally coming to apologize for being so uncaring? Was she here to comfort me finally? Hope snared my heart in a painful squeeze. "Alexa, I'm going out with Lisa. I'll be back later." She said, slurring her words.

My heart dropped. I clenched my hands into angry fists as I bit out, "Fine. Bye." I turned back to the window as she closed the door. I listened to her feet clomp clumsily down the hall, down the stairs and out on to the porch to wait for her friend Lisa Chang, a nurse that she worked with. Well, used to work with, I corrected myself. Mom had lost her job when she didn't come in for two weeks after Dad's death.

I swallowed hard. "Glad you can drown your feelings, Mom." I complained grudgingly.

Nothing seems right anymore, I thought, staring out the window. Mom was constantly at the bar or having a drinking fest at home with her closest friends. Danielle was worrying more and more about me. My boyfriend had dumped me within the first week of having me avoid conversation. Dad was gone and never coming back. He would never help me confront my fears, my ghosts, ever again. No one else in my family called anymore to ask how we were doing. And lastly, I ended up getting kicked off the volleyball team.

What a month, I thought sarcastically.

My cell phone rang. I picked it up distractedly. "Hello?"

"Lexa!" Danielle said in a relieved voice. "At least you're picking up your phone now. That's a start."

"Yeah. A start." I muttered, glancing up sadly at the bleak sky. It had been raining all month and now the snow was all melted and gone, thank God. I hated snow. It was cold and uncomfortable to stand in outside. Now if only the wind would die down and the temperature would rise.

"How are you doing today?" My friend asked, concerned.

I sighed. "I was depressed yesterday. Depressed the day before. And completely and utterly depressed the day before that. Do you really think things have changed?"

"I'm sorry. Stupid question." She said truthfully. "Can I come over? I want to take you out tonight. Go do something fun."

I glanced at the clock. It was almost six o'clock. "Do I have a choice?" I grumbled.

"Not really." She said. I could hear the smile in her voice as she continued, "I'm just trying to shake this depression away from you before you have to start taking happy pills or drinking like your mom."

"Mom." I spat. "Let's not say that. From now on it's Tiffany."

"Calling your mom by her first name," Danielle murmured. "Ouch. Is she going out again tonight?"

"What do you think?" I snapped.

Danielle was quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry, Alexa. I really am. But you can't just lock yourself in your room and not go to school or work or outside at all, for crying out loud. You've got to get past this. You're stronger than this."

I swallowed the lump in my throat and sighed in defeat. "I do, don't I?"

Danielle was silent again, this time in shock. "Wait just a second." She gasped. "Did I just hear you agree with me?"

"Yes," I nodded determinedly. "You did. You're right. I'm stronger than this." I took a deep breath. "I-I have to put this . . . behind me."

"That's it!" Danielle cheered excitedly. "That's the girl I remember! Now where do you want to go tonight?"

I hesitated. Where was my favorite place to go? I had forgotten. I bit my lip. Things had gotten really, enormously bad for me. I had forgotten my favorite things! "Um . . ."

Danielle sighed in despair. "You've forgotten, haven't you?"

She knew me all to well. "Yeah."

"We're going to the library." She said instantly. "I mean, when's the last time you've read? You love to read. And . . . how about after that we go to that dance club we like? Sound like a deal?"

I let a small smile cross my face. "Yeah." My voice cracked. "Hurry before I change my mind."

"I'm in your driveway," she stated.

I glanced out the window. Sure enough, her silver, brand-new car sat idling in my driveway. "Wow," I muttered. "Come on in. Is Tiffany still out there?"

"Nope. Is she suppose to be?"

"Nope." I sighed. "Going out tonight, remember? Lisa must have already picked her up."

"Be right up!" She called, hanging up her phone and waving at me as she got out of the car. She bounded up the steps. I turned to my closet, then glanced down at my clothes. What would I wear?

My door was thrown open. Danielle, her soaking wet blonde hair sticking to her face and down her shoulders, stood in the doorway. When she saw my face, she ran to me and wrapped her thin, pale arms around my shoulders. "Oh, Lexa," was all she said.

I put my arms around her and squeezed. "Thanks for being there," I mumbled into her shoulder.

"No problem. Now let's get you changed." She smiled brightly and turned away from me. She threw open my closet and tossed out a short denim skirt, a pair of black leggings, a white tank top with a giant skull embroidered on it in black, and a pair of my black flats with silver, shiny sequins on them. "Wear these."

I glanced at the tank top. "A little low-cut to be wearing with just a bra underneath, isn't it?"

Danielle scoffed. "What ever. Don't be a wuss. You need to have some emotion. Be it embarrassment or feeling sexy, I don't care." She started ushering me toward the bathroom off of my room. "Go, go!"

I slipped into the bathroom and stared into the mirror. My pale gray eyes were red-rimmed and slightly puffy. It showed that I had been crying for weeks. Splotches of red danced on my cheeks and my skin looked paler than before. I used to be tan, since I was partially Indian I had a natural tan, but now I looked as pale as the ghosts I see.

I heaved a sigh and changed my clothes. Turning back to the mirror, I studied my reflection. What should I do with my hair? I found myself thinking. I frowned, the full lips in the mirror frowning back. Danielle knocked on the closed door. "What's taking so long?"

I cleared my throat and called, "I-I don't know what to do with my hair," I said incredulously. It was amazing how fast I could change my thoughts from doom-and-gloom to hair and what guys would think about it.

Danielle opened the door and went straight for my hair, pulling it away from my face. It felt good to have someone run their fingers through it like my mother did when I was younger. We stared at each other through the mirror. "What do you want to do with it?" She asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know."

"Well, how about taking half of it like this," she pulled some of my dark hair into a half ponytail, using her fingers as the band holding it there, "and then twist it up like so," she took the amount of hair she had in her hand and twisted it, then brought it up, "then clip it," she snagged one of my big clips I had sitting on the counter and clipped it around the twisted strands of hair she had in her hand, "like that?"

She let go of my hair and let it fall in a spiky-looking way above my clip. I stared at my reflection with a small smile. "That looks cool." I said softly. "Where'd you learn to do that?"

She shrugged. "I just came up with it. So you like it?"

I nodded, making her smile great big. "You should be a hair-stylist." I smirked.

"Oh, thank you!" Danielle hugged me around the neck from behind. "You look amazing."

I glanced down at the shirt in the mirror. One shoulder strap hung off my shoulder and the neck was big and showed a lot of my chest from the outside of my shoulder all the way to the collar bone near the other. I cleared my throat. "So this isn't slutty-looking?"

"Not at all." Danielle rolled her eyes, adding some eye-liner, gray eye shadow, and light brown lipstick to my face. "I wouldn't let you out of here if you looked slutty. You're my best friend. Now grab a sweatshirt and let's go!"

I went back into my room and reached for a baggy black one, but Danielle huffed in disbelief and handed me a tighter-fitting white one with silver swirls down the side. I pulled it on and zipped it up, yanking my hood up over my head. Danielle giggled like a school girl and dashed down the hall with my purse before I could say anything.

I followed at a walking pace behind her, thinking. If I got back into how I used to be, would the ghosts appear to me again? I shuddered thinking of how I would make it without Dad. He was always so confident and such a good sleuth at finding out why the spirits were hanging around. He was so good at getting rid of them.

A tear formed in my eye, but I brushed it away. No more crying, I ordered myself. You can't waste your life. You need to live. That's what he would have wanted.

I took a steadying breath and went out the door and to Danielle's car after locking up the house. It didn't take us long to get to the library. It was only a few blocks away from my house. It was a huge reddish-brown, brick building. The words "Hill View County Library" adorned the spot just above the glass double doors in white with a giant green book behind them.

Danielle pushed open the doors, holding them open for me. I stepped in and breathed in the scent of old books, paper, and the librarian's perfume. I smiled warmly at Mrs. Tessley, who sat at the front desk reading a book. Her glasses slid down the bridge of her thin nose. She brushed a long strand of silver-looking hair out of her intelligent blue eyes. "Alexa." She smiled, "I haven't seen you in a while. I heard about your father. I'm terribly sorry for your loss."

My smile turned more forced. "Yeah. I've been hearing that a lot lately."

The old woman closed her book and set it on the desk in front of her. "Are you alright, dear?"

"I'm . . . getting by." I told her.

A shadow moved out of the corner of my eye and I cursed myself silently. Yep. They had come back. The ghosts. I pretended not to notice them. Danielle led me to the teen section where I eyed the book spines casually as I used to do. I pulled out two. One called, Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead, and the other, Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick.

"Nice choices." Danielle said sarcastically. "Don't you have enough supernatural stuff going on right now to be reading about it? I mean what with the psychic powers or whatever you've got going on?"

"I like to read about other people's supernatural problems." I shrugged, holding them cradled against my chest. "Are you getting any?"

She tapped her chin. "I think I'll get Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet."

I rolled my eyes. "Again? You've read that book like a thousand times now."

"I can't help it," she defended her favorite book. "I like it." I smiled at her. A true smile. Danielle took a moment before she smiled back. "You're smiling," she said.

I smirked. "No, I'm grimacing. Can't you see it?"

We laughed at my sarcasm and checked out our books. Mrs. Tessley showed her approval of our laughter as she ran the bar codes under her little scanner and handed them back to us. "Have a nice night, girls," she called as the door closed behind us.

Once we were in the car, we tossed our books in the back seat and drove toward our favorite dance club. Danielle glanced at me as she drove. "Hey, you and Chace are over, right?" She asked casually.

I frowned. "He wasn't much of a boyfriend anyway," was my answer.

She smiled at that. "Tell me about it. He didn't even pull out your chair for you at lunch. Any hoo, what do you say we start eyeing other guys?"

I gave her a look. "What are you talking about? I don't want to even think about a boyfriend right now, much less check one out like a book."

"No, you silly." She giggled. "We can both look now. If you don't want to put yourself out there right away, I understand. Guys are douches. But I'd like one to take me to the Spring Dance."

I raised a brow. "And it's already coming up? It's January. And we've just barely escaped a long winter."

"I know." She grumbled. Unlike me, my friend loved the snow. She always said it made the atmosphere more magical. "But it's in April. And I want to get to know a guy before he takes me to a dance. So, why not start looking now?"

I sighed. "Nice, Dani. Just nice."

"What? There's some hotties that go to our dance club, in case you've forgotten."

"Um, Chace was one of those 'hotties' remember?" I said pointedly.

She grumbled. "Lighten up, Lexa. Tonight's suppose to be fun."

"I know, I know," I apologized. "I just . . . it's been a while."

Dani glanced over at me. "You okay? If you feel like taking our little party back to your place, I'm fine with it, but I still want to get your mood up."

I let a small smile cross my lips. "I know. Don't let my mood spoil the fun for you though."

"Too late for that!" She laughed. "Whenever I'm around, there's no such thing as a foul mood, though."

I laughed with her and we pulled into the parking lot. Once we entered the club, the pounding music flooded our ears and the flashing lights were blinding and dizzying, even. I followed Dani through the crowded dance floor to the bar where only a few people sat. She ordered us two Pepsi's and held one out for me.

I sipped at it slowly, not really caring for something to drink. The bar tender knew us and would sneak us a few shots, but not tonight. He never allowed us to drink on school nights. And today was Thursday. Dani sat on a bar stool next to mine and we watched bodies sway crazily on the dance floor, the dark club with the bouncing multi-colored lights flashing and spinning around everything. After a while of loud chatting between us, she pulled me out on to the hardwood dance floor, dancing around me.

"Come on, Lexa!" She shouted over the music. "Loosen up!"

She grabbed my hands and spun me around a little. After about ten minutes, I was dancing just as crazy as her and was actually having a great time. We laughed and danced and joked around for hours before she finally said she had to take me home. I danced into my house, smiling widely as I shut the door with my foot and locked it. Mom would barely be able to get in, even though she did have a key, but I didn't care. She could struggle all she wanted. She wanted to drink, she could handle the consequences.

I sashayed up to my room and changed into my pajama pants and a different tank top, this one a deep shade of blue. I yawned as I hummed along with the song that had managed to get stuck in my head, Lady Gaga's Bad Romance.

I heard a soft shuffling behind me and spun around, completely forgetting my happy mood. I was instantly alert when I should have just gone right along and kept humming until I fell asleep.

"Damn." I sighed.

It was a ghost, of course. This one was female. She had long black hair that hung around her face in long wisps and deep blue, serious-looking eyes. She was in a short black fake-leather mini skirt with fishnet stockings, black combat boots that went halfway up her calves, and a black graphic T-shirt with silver angel wings on it. She beamed at me when I met her gaze.

"You can see me!" She exclaimed joyously.

I raked a hand through my hair. "Yeah. But I'm not happy about it. And just why are you here?"

"Why am I dead? Or why am I here in your room? Or-"

"Tell me why you're in my room. Then tell me about your little business you have to do before you cross over."

She stared at me for a while before finally saying, "I'm in your bedroom because the others say you help ghosts. That you see them. And-"

"Wait, back up for one second," I interrupted. "The others? What others?"

She rolled her eyes as if it were obvious. "The other ghosts, smart ass." Before I could reply, she continued with, "And I think my unfinished business is . . . to get you to help a guy I used to know."

"Me? Help a guy you used to know?" I snorted. I knew I was being mean, but I wasn't in the mood for company. And this chick just killed my buzz. "Why? What's he need help with? Why is it me who has to help him?"

"To answer your questions in order: Yes. Yes. Because he needs it, he's in bad shape. And because you're the only one who can see me!" She huffed out breath and crossed her arms.

"But I'm sure there's other people . . . like me . . . that can help him."

"You don't understand." She argued. "He's in really bad shape-"

"What's his predicament? What's so bad about-"

"Dammit, he's in trouble of ruining his life!" The spirit in front of me exploded.

I raised a brow. "How? Come on, girl, give me some details."

"My name's not Girl. It's Elizabeth. And he's in a gang. He drinks up a lot of his money and time, he isn't dealing well with his dad, and his grades suck ass . . . oh, and he absolutely will not respect any form of authority-" He sounded a lot like my type of guy, except for the drinking and gang part. "He's in trouble. He's headed down the wrong path. I think, and hope, that you can get him on a new path."

I rubbed my forehead. "What's his name? Do I even know this guy?"

She glared at me. "You sure as hell better. He's in a lot of your classes that I've noticed. His name is Dominic. Dominic Faucer."

"Dominic. Faucer," I said in disbelief. "You want me to help Dominic Faucer? He's, like, the most un-helpable person I've ever laid eyes on!"

Elizabeth came closer to me. "He needs it. Really bad. Besides, you can't say he isn't good to look at. Hell, he's great to look at."

To be honest, he was. Dark brown hair that fell in his eyes, daring hazel eyes, a bad boy with a reputation and a sarcastic attitude were definatly traits I'd fall for. But . . . "How can I help him? He hasn't listened to anyone since fourth grade when the teacher told him to start throwing his gum away instead of sticking it under his desk. He's so . . . " What was the word I was looking for?

"Arrogant? Sarcastic? Unbelievable? Impossible?" Elizabeth supplied.

I nodded, not knowing what else to say.

"Just talk to him. Please. I-I think something bad's going to happen to him if he doesn't get his act together. I mean, he's been kicked out of schools before. His mom left him, his dad's never around. He has a lot to deal with with his little brother. I mean, his dad doesn't even notice if they're home or not! How can someone be so . . . Ugh!" She threw her hands up in the air in frustration.

I raised a brow and dropped down onto my bed. "Have you seen my mother lately?"

"I have actually. Does she do that a lot? Get drunk like that?"

I felt my brows pull together and my face puckered in anger as I pulled the blankets over my legs. Elizabeth moved to sit on my bed. "I'm sorry, um . . ." She bit her lip. "I'm sorry I didn't catch your name," she said after a moment.

"Alexa." I told her. "My name's Alexa. And I don't exactly want pity. I just . . . I just want things back to normal."

"She doesn't believe in ghosts, does she?" Elizabeth asked after my little admition.

I stared at her. "No. My dad did though. He was the one that helped me with all my other . . . encounters."

"Your dad." Elizabeth murmured. "He's . . . dead, isn't he?"

I nodded solemnly.

"I'm sorry. You must be in a bad predicament yourself." She said.

I nodded again. "Oh, don't forget that my boyfriend dumped me last week for not talking to him."

"Why weren't you talking to him?" She asked curiously.

Jeez, it was like we were long-lost best friends. Either that or she used to be a psychiatrist. A really young psychiatrist, but still. "Because my dad died. I didn't want to talk to anyone. Not even my best friend Danielle."

"She's a good friend to have," Elizabeth said suddenly.

I glanced at her. "Why are you saying all this? Asking all these personal questions?"

Elizabeth bit her lip. "Well . . . Like I said, Dominic needs help. And . . . second, I just need someone to talk to. I need a friend." She fumbled with her hands in her lap.

"You're lonely," I said incredulously. When she nodded, I asked, "Why? Isn't there anyone dead that you're friends with?"

"My best friend was Dominic. And he can't hear or see me. And . . . I don't know any dead people. My parents are dead, but I haven't seen them around. My aunt and uncle and Dom were all I had left. They're all alive. I've got no one."

I felt a pang of pity for her. "I'm sorry," I said. "I didn't know."

The corner of her mouth twisted in a smirk. "No offense, but I don't want pity, either. How about we just . . ." she held her hand out, "be friends? Agree to help one another?"

I blew out a long sigh but clutched her hand in mine. I was surprised I could actually do so, to be honest. I hadn't ever touched a ghost before. She was cold and it felt like my hand was wrapped around a shard of ice. I shuddered and pulled the blankets closer to me.

She took her hand away. "Sorry. I know I'm cold. I've been around Dom and watched him shiver a lot."

I eyed her as I lie back on my pillows. "So you want me to help Dominic Faucer?"

"Yes," she said instantly.

I bit my lip. "If I agreed, would you help me do it?"

"Of course!" she exclaimed.

I nodded and turned off the light. "Fine. I'll talk to you more about it tomorrow. Right now," I yawned, "I'm tired. I've had a long week and there's school tomorrow."

"Can you-can you skip school tomorrow?" Elizabeth asked quietly.

"Why?"

"Because I want to show you where Dom works. Where he hangs out." She paused a moment. "I know it's a lot to ask but will you talk to him tomorrow?"

I heaved another heavy sigh. "Fine," I said again. "Goodnight, Elizabeth. I'll see you in the morning."

My heavy lids drifted shut. Before I was completely out, I heard her say, "'Night, Alexa. Sweet dreams." I was out like a light right after that.


Chapter 2
Believe

The next morning, I sat up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. I had had a nightmare about my father's death. Tears stung my eyes as I thought about what the gang had done to him, how they beat him. Then I asked myself a common question I ask a lot, why'd they do it? I cleared my throat, trying to make the lump in my throat go away.

"You're awake," I heard a soft voice say from my window seat. I turned and found Elizabeth sitting there, admiring the pictures I had taped around the window of me and my friend and even some of my now-ex. "You look so happy in these pictures. It's . . . I don't know, sad, I think is the word I'm looking for, to know that you're not like this anymore. And I didn't even know you back when these were even taken."

I bit my lip and forced the tears away. "Yeah."

The sound of my voice made her look at me. Her deep blue eyes widened. "Oh, I'm sorry! Did you have a nightmare?"

I shrugged, then decided I should confide in someone instead of keeping it buried. "Yeah."

"Can I ask what it was about?" She asked as she dropped her arms from where they were wrapped around her legs.

I stared at her for a moment. "My dad. I was dreaming about how he was killed."

"How was that?"

I shoved my legs over the edge of the bed. "You ask a lot of questions, you know that?" I barked groggily. "A gang beat him to death."

Elizabeth stared after me as I snagged a pair of jeans with holes in the knees and a black tank top with a giant smiley face with it's tongue sticking out on it. I trudged into the bathroom and took a fast shower, trying to allow the hot water pelting against my bare back to relax me. I pulled on my clothes and yanked a brush through my tangled black mop of hair.

When I came out, I plugged in my blow-drier and dried my hair. Elizabeth watched in admiration. "I miss the feeling of hot air running through my hair," she said in a small voice as I unplugged it afterward.

I dabbed on as little make up as possible and grabbed my things for an outing. I didn't know what to say to that. "Do you know if my mother is here?"

Elizabeth nodded with a sigh. "She's passed out in her room. She got here about four hours ago." I glanced at my cell phone in my hand. It read eight in the morning. I blew out a breath.

I made my way down the hall to my mom's room and poked my head in. She lay sprawled across her bed, still in the denim skirt and long sleeved red V-neck. Drool was curling down her cheek as she snored, her mouth hanging open slightly. I forced back a sigh of disapproval and entered her room.

I yanked off her high-heeled shoes as gently as I could and tossed them in the bottom of her closet, then changed her into a pair of pajamas and tucked her in under the blankets. I pulled her long dark hair out of her face and re-positioned her head on the pillow. Elizabeth stared silently at my mother while I took care of her. "And she's . . . always like this?" She shook her head as I turned off the light that Mom must have turned on at her entrance. "I can't stand people like that."

I shook my head and walked out of the room, leaving my snoring mother on her own. I padded down the stairs while Elizabeth chatted uncontrollably about "drunks." I brought out the carton of eggs, milk, cheese, turkey and mayonnaise, then the half of a loaf of bread. I got a frying pan and placed it on the stove, turning the burner on and cracking a few eggs into it. I made up two omelets and a cold sandwich. I slid one omelet on to a plate and set it on the table then cut the other one in half.

Eating one half of the other omelet, I put the rest away and wrapped up the sandwich in paper towel, shoving it in my purse for later. I was sure that I'd be hungry again by lunch time. I had no plans of returning home until later tonight. I was going to be out as late as my mother, I decided. See how she likes it, I thought.

Elizabeth continued complaining as she perched on the edge of the counter. Once I had finished with my half an omelet, I ripped off a piece of paper from the phone memo pad that was hung up next to the phone. Mom hadn't been using it lately, and neither had I. I scribbled a quick note:

I'll be out in town today. Won't be back til later.
I made an omelet for you, and you'd better eat it!
- Alexa

I placed the note beside the plate on the table and dug around in my bag.

"What are you doing?" Elizabeth asked as she read the note I had wrote.

I dumped out the contents of my messenger bag that was my purse on days like these on to the table and stared at them. I shoved in my spiral notebook with a bunch of sharpie writing adorning the cover, my pencil bag with my sharpies and pencils, my wallet, my picture book with all my scrap book pictures in it, the sandwhich I had made, and my tin water bottle with Mountain Dew sloshing around inside it.

"I'm getting my things together. We'll be out late today," I answered finally.

Elizabeth eyed me carefully. "And you need a notebook and a pencil case because . . . ?"

"Because I like to draw and write." I rolled my eyes.

"What about the sandwhich? You can't just buy something in town?" She asked.

I sighed. "Not everyone has enough money to eat out in town."

Elizabeth fell silent. I sighed and studied my phone, thinking about calling Danielle to assist me in my little adventure. I shook my head and shoved it in my back pocket. "I won't get Dani involved," I said aloud.

Elizabeth followed me outside and down the road. "Wow. I guess you're an early bird," She muttered as we walked.

I shook my head, bringing my phone back out and pressing it to my ear so no one would think I was crazy for talking to myself. "No. I'm not usually. But when I want to get something done, I get it done fast. Hopefully this gets done fast, too."

"Dominic's a great guy," Elizabeth defended herself. "I'm sure you won't think this little task is stupid after you get to know him."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, he's got to be one of the best guys out there."
"He is!" She cried.

I glanced at her, momentarily silenced. "You liked him. You still do, don't you?" I guessed after a while.

She sighed. "No."

"Lier. Did you two ever . . . you know? Date?"

Elizabeth wrapped her arms around herself as if she were cold. The weather was absolutely beautiful, though. It was nice and warm with only a slight drizzle of rain. "No. I wanted to really bad. But . . . I honestly don't know if he even thought of me . . . like that."

I pursed my lips. "I'm sorry. That must have sucked royally."

"Tell me about it." She grumbled.

We continued on in silence for a while longer. Finally, her arm shot out. "There!" She pointed. "He works there. He should be in there now. He works the early-morning-and-late-night shift."

I raised a brow and shook my hair away from my face. "He works at a bar?"

"It's a bar/diner." She corrected me, flipping her own dark hair out of her eyes. "And yes."

I took in a deep breath. "Well, here goes nothing. Try not to let me embarress myself, okay?"

She agreed as I put my phone back in my back pocket. I pushed open the doors to the bar. A blast of mildly cold air brushed my wet hair back from my face. I shivered as my warm-rain-soaked skin met the colder atmosphere of the bar. Elizabeth gazed around for a while, taking in the surroundings just as I was doing.

The floor was a light brown wood. Three pool tables were set up near each of the walls. The middle of the bar was part dance floor and part round tables and booths that customers were already eating at. I spotted one of my mother's drinking buddies and avoided bringing attention to myself. A few guys were seated at a booth that I ended up walking by to get to the counter. They snickered loudly and one of them reached a hand out to grab me by one of the belt loops on my pants.

I glared at the guy as he grinned drunkenly up at me. "Hey there, cutie with a bootie."

Sarcasm took over. "Hey there, silly without a willy. Why don't you let me go." It was more a demand than a request.

The guy didn't like that much. He yanked on my belt loop, pulling me sideways on to his lap. "That wasn't very nice, you know," he snarled in my face.

His breath wreaked of alcohol. I wrinkled my nose in distaste. "Yeah? Well, sorry to break this to you buddy, but I'm not very nice." I pulled myself up and away from him, yanking my belt loop out of his grasp.

He grumbled at me as I walked quickly away and toward the bar. Elizabeth grinned and gave me a thumbs up. "That was impressive," a new voice said. I turned and met the bar tender's gaze. He had blonde, long curls that looked shiny-clean in the lighting. He had green eyes and a boyish face with a soft smile. I had seen him before, I realized. I just couldn't put a name on him. I sat down on a stool. "Oh, that's nothing. I've handled drunks before."

The kid chuckled and wiped a cloth over the already-spotless counter. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

I nodded. "There is actually. Is there a kid that works here by the name of Dominic?"

The kid stiffened. "Why? Who wants to know?"

"I just want to talk with him. A-an old friend of his wants me to. My name's Alexa Halbern." I stuck out my hand to show I wasn't a threat.

He took it gently in his. "Mine's Gregor." That's where I knew him! He was in my Spanish class! I felt as if a miniature weight had been lifted from my shoulders as the recognition set in. He hesitated before he pursed his lips and uttered, "Hang on a sec."

He disappeared behind the swinging doors behind the bar. I pulled out my phone again and pressed it back to my ear. "So is this Gregor guy good news?" I breathed to Elizabeth, who was sitting right next to me.

"Yeah. He's a sweetheart. His mom sorta took Dom and Zach in and gave them a place to sleep." She brushed her finger against the counter top. She pulled it closer to her face and studied it.

"Who's Zach?" I murmured.

She rolled her eyes. "Dom's little brother. He's only five and he's so cute!" She grinned at the memory of the mystery little brother I knew nothing about.

I bit my lip. "He's only five? I feel bad about-"

"Whatever you do, don't let it show on your face and don't tell him that," she warned seriously. "He doesn't like pity and he doesn't take it very nicely. Now put that thing away! Here he comes!"

I shoved my phone back into my pocket and pretended to braid a section of my hair that hung in my face. A tall, well-built guy walked up to me and braced his hands on the counter in front of me. He leaned forward on them to give me a once-over while I did the same. He had some-what long dark-brown-almost-black hair that hung in his eyes and he brushed it impatiently away to reveal a set of wonderful hazel eyes that were both daring and dangerous. Nothing at all like my father's patient, calm and caring hazel eyes. I tried to remember I was here on business not for pleasure.

"Alexa?" Dominic asked, recognizing me after only a moment. Elizabeth was right. He was in more than two of my classes at school. "Why are you here? It's not like we're friends." His tone made me want to slap him, for some stupid reason. It was too cocky and labeled him instantly as a smart-ass.

"I'm here to talk. Mind if it's a private chat?" I asked quietly. "It's . . . sort of personal, I guess."

Elizabeth smacked a hand on her forehead and groaned.

"Personal?" His dark brows pulled together in confusion. "What's this about?"

I took a steady breath and prayed he wouldn't strangle me or anything of the sort. He had that reputation that would make grizzly bears look harmless. "It's about . . . your friend Elizabeth." Again, the person in question smacked herself and groaned loudly.

Dominic's expression went blank. "What about her? In case you haven't heard, she's dead. Some dick crashed into her car."

I dropped my hair and turned utterly serious, the fear I felt not controlling my features in any form. "I know. But this is important and I would really rather we take it somewhere more private."

He snorted. "Forget it. Liz's death isn't something I want to talk about."

"We're losing him!" The ghost grated. "Do something!"

He turned to walk away but I reached out and touched his arm. I heard Elizabeth's breath stop. He turned narrowed eyes on me. "I've got to tell you something," I said, hating the desperation in my voice. "It's really important."

Dominic pulled his arm out of my reach. "I don't think it is. Maybe you just want to poke fun about it like the other kids at school do-"

I glared at him, losing my cool in a moment. "I just lost my father, you asshole. I don't want to poke fun about death." My voice was cold and hard as it came out. I barely recognized it as my own it sounded so hostile. "Now can we talk?"

He eyed me. "How'd your dad die?"

I blinked at the random question. But now I had bait. And I was going to use it as much as I could at the moment. "I'm not telling you anything unless we go somewhere more private."

He smirked. "I like your style," he admitted. Finally, he nodded. "Fine. I've got about half an hour. Let's go around back."

Not the place I would have chosen, but it'd work. I followed him outside with Elizabeth right behind me. I hoped he wasn't bringing me around back so he could murder me. That would put a damper on things, definitely. She whispered in my ear, "Now you can't lose your focus," she warned. "If you make it sound too crazy and out of this world, he'll high tail it. We don't want that. Make him believe."

I gritted my teeth. "Let me handle this," I ground out quietly.

"What was that?" Dominic asked, turning toward me as he opened the back door.

I forced a smile. "Nothing." I stepped out first and heard him behind me. I let him lead us to the spot he wanted. I figured it'd make it a little easier.

He walked farther out than I thought he would have. He trudged into the little field behind the bar/diner and leaned against the oak tree. I took a seat on the top of the picnic table beside the tree and allowed my feet to dangle over the edge. It was still raining lightly, but underneath the tree it was nice and dry.

"So what's Liz have to do with this?" He asked.

I bit my lip, trying to find out how to break this to him. "Okay, well . . . this might sound crazy, and trust me, I know crazy. But I can sorta . . . see things. Ghosts. Spirits. Whatever you want to call them. And I've seen Elizabeth. Last night was the first time I've seen her, though." I continued to explain the things she had told me about him and what she told me she wanted me to do. "And she thinks the reason she can't cross over is because she needs to help you. Or rather, get someone you can see and hear to help you. Which is why I'm here. But . . . she was pretty vague on what I needed to help you with. Do you think you know what it is?"

I watched his face as he processed my words. It was a mixture of hope, sadness, anger, regret, and concern. Finally, he settled on sadness and anger. My heart sank. He didn't believe. "You say you can see her?"

I nodded, trying to keep him within reach.

"Is she here now?"

I blinked, again taken off guard by his line of questioning. "Yes," I said. "She's actually sitting beside me watching you."

He glared hard right at the spot where Elizabeth sat in anticipation for his reaction. She gasped. "Is it just me or does it look like he's staring at me? Is he-" She glanced up at me. "Can he see me?"

"No." He said suddenly, making both me and her jump. Had he just answered her!? My eyes widened in disbelief. "This is crazy," He continued, making me and her groan. "She's dead. She's not here. Why are you toying with me?" He turned an accusing glare on me.

I clenched my hands into fists. My anger didn't take much to flare up anymore. It was a knee-jerk reaction to me now. "I'm not toying with you!" I snapped. "I just lost my dad. I don't think death is funny in any way. I wouldn't toy with you like that."

His gaze found the ground. "How'd he die again?"

I stared up at the sky, allowing rain to pelt my face lightly. "A gang beat him. He died from his injuries."

"And when was this?"

"Two, three or four weeks ago. I lost count." I admitted.

"And that's why you weren't in school." He murmured.

I sighed and turned my attention back to him. "Yeah. I've been pathetic. Huddled up in my room on my window seat just watching the rain. Until last night. I actually went out." I didn't know why I felt I had to tell him that. It just tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop it.

"Then why aren't you in school today?" He asked, his head tilted.

I stared at him, his rain-dampened shirt and hair, his hazel eyes, his well-muscled arms and chest . . . . A snappy retort of "Why aren't you?" came to my lips but I pushed it down. Instead I murmured, "Elizabeth asked me to find you."

"I'm sorry," he bit out, not sounding at all sorry, "but I don't believe you."

"No, no, no!" Elizabeth croaked. "We're losing him again. Do something! Stop him!"

"Um . . . is there anything that only you and Elizabeth would know? Something you and her kept between the two of you?" I tried desperately. Dominic shook his head in frustration. I turned to Elizabeth. "Help would be nice here," I said to her, not caring what Dominic thought.

She racked her brains for something that would be useful. "How about . . . Oh, I know! Me and him used to sneak out to the football field whenever we had a bad day. It would be late at night, so no one would catch us. No one ever did."

I repeated what she had said to him. He glared at me. "How'd you know about that?"

"She just told me," I exclaimed.

He blew out a breath. "Give me two more things," He said suddenly.

I turned all my attention on her. "Come on," I ordered.

She glared at me. "Hey, don't get all bossy on me, you little-"

"I don't have time for this," I snarled. "I need to get to my boss before she decides to let me go like Coach Manson did!"

"Coach Manson?" Dominic pipped. "She let you go? That's the volleyball coach, isn't it?"

I nodded. "She said that if I couldn't deal with my problems on my own time and if I couldn't make it to games, then she couldn't have me on the team. I basically told her to shove it."

He snickered at that, earning a glare from me.

"Tell him about . . . the time in seventh grade. We were under the bleachers in gym class." A faint blush came across her cheeks.

"Huh, ghosts can blush." I muttered then repeated what she had said. "What'd you two do?" I asked out of curiosity.

Dominic gave me a half smile and I knew. They had made out. I slapped a hand over my forehead. "Can you tell me something a little more G rated, please?" I asked her.

Dom shoved his hands in his pockets and waited for me. I knew he still didn't believe me.

"Um . . . how about . . . the night he and his dad got into a huge fight and it ended up with the police getting called."

"Don't think that's very secret." I grumbled, "Even I know that."

"What?" He asked.

"Uh, one night you and your dad got at each other's throats and the cops were called." I glanced at Elizabeth. "Anything you care to add to that?"

"Just that I was the one that kept him out of jail." She smirked.

My eyes widened. "You kept him out of jail? I thought he just booked it when the police weren't looking."

"Don't believe every rumor you hear." She wiggled her fingers at me.

Dominic gave a stifled sound. I turned to him. "That's three, isn't it?" I asked.

He gaped at me and nodded. "Yeah. But . . . how'd you know-?"

"Dammit." I demanded, "Believe that ghosts are real and that Elizabeth is here right now!"

He shook his head slowly. "I-I can't. If she's here, she would have shown something to me. I don't know how you knew that stuff, but I'd rather you didn't come talk to me about Liz."

With that, he turned his back on me and stalked back into the bar, rain pattering against his pale skin. I watched him go, a string pulling at my heart. I dropped my head in my hands. "I'd give anything to be in his position right now. I'd give anything to have someone come up to me and tell me that they're seeing my dad. I want to know he's alright. That he's happy."

I cursed as tears started to blur my vision. There was a light pat on my back as Elizabeth sat beside me and tried to comfort me. "You did what you could, I guess. He's a hard ass, I know, but after a few more visits, he's sure to lighten up-"

"A few more visits?" I hissed at her. "I'm done. I can't help him. He doesn't want help, he doesn't believe. I can't do anything, Elizabeth!" I shoved away from the table and stomped through the mud puddles to the side walk. I pushed my hands in the pockets of my pants and trudged toward the diner where I worked.

Elizabeth was silent as she followed beside me. I didn't fight the tears that poured down my cheeks. The rain was coming down hard enough to hide them, so no one would notice. I didn't even bother to take my phone out whenever Elizabeth decided to ask a question that demanded an answer.

Cars whooshed past me on the road, one even managed to hit a puddle just right, sending a spray of gross water straight onto me. I gasped as the cold water hit me. This was one of the worst days I'd had in a while. Being depressed and warm at home watching the rain outside my window sounded really good to me instead of walking to work to check in with my boss.

Elizabeth bit her lip. "I'm going to go show him something," she said as I made my way through the diner's parking lot.

"What are you going to do?" I grumbled.

"Write on a misty mirror? Touch him? Whisper something in his ear? All three?" She blew out a puff of breath. "I don't know. I'll do anything and everything I can to get him to believe. Just . . . hang out here, okay? I'll be back when I get something out of him."

With that, she disappeared, leaving me alone to face my boss's wrath and fury. It didn't take long for me to figure out that my boss, Candy, wanted to give me some "time off." She said it'd be better for me if I'd just have to endure school and sleep for a while. When I was feeling okay to work, I could come back. She'd keep my job open for me.

I breathed a sigh of relief. Candy hadn't wanted to let me go. She hadn't. She wasn't mad. I still had a job, I just got an extended vacation.

Elizabeth didn't return for an awfully long time so I trudged back out into the rain and decided I'd wander around until I found some place to be.

I'd regret it soon enough.