Ray lay facedown on the bed, paralyzed with fear as the heat crept over them.

The room wasn’t on fire, not really.

But it was a damn good simulation, and they knew from Dare’s experience that it was real enough to hurt.

Ray slowly turned their head and screamed, scooting back against the covers. There was a little girl in the center of the room, and her head was engulfed in flame. Two swirling black eyes seemed to radiate from the center, molten lava dripping from her hands. The image disappeared as soon as it had come, but Ray’s hand managed to spasm out, flinging the rest of the Ectoplasm Illuminator at the spot where it had been.

An ordinary girl, maybe seven years old, stood in the phantom’s place. Her blonde hair was spiked up, and there was a frown on her face. “That reaction is just sad,” she said. “I feel bad now.”

“Then –” Ray paused, then spoke in a rush. “Thencouldyoupleaseturnoffthefire?”

Rose stared at them, mouth slightly agape, for a full second. “You can hear me?” she asked.

Her voice wasn’t cartoonishly loud and surprised like it had been implied to be in the game. It was small and very scared. Ray nodded, and all at once, the fire died out.

“Wow,” Rose said. She looked at the ground. “I haven’t talked to an alive person in a while.”

Ray managed a smile. “It’s… it’s okay. And you don’t need to scare me off. I’m here to help, okay?” They sat up, leaning forward. Rose took a step back. “I’m Ray. What’s your name?”

“Rose,” she said. She fidgeted, then stood up straight, glaring defiantly. “I was here first, so I’m the leader.”

“Cool,” Ray said with just a bit of forced enthusiasm. They weren’t the best at talking to kids, but they would do their best.

Rose’s face lit up. “Really? It’s cool?” Ray smiled and nodded. Rose punched the air. “Yeah! I’m so cool!” She walked up to Ray, and Ray forced themself not to flinch as she hopped up on the bed next to her. “Nobody here says I’m cool. Theo and Susan and Luke treat me like a baby. Sam’s a little better but they still treat me like a kid.”

“Well, you are,” Ray said. “Cool, I mean. You’re the coolest ghost I’ve ever met.”

“How many ghosts have you met?” Rose asked.

Ray thought back to what little they knew of Dare’s ghost-hunting origins. “More than twenty for sure.”

“Wow.” Rose nodded, looking up at Ray with awe in her eyes. “And did –” She looked away shyly. “Did you ever help any of them go to Heaven?”

Ray smiled reassuringly. “Yeah,” they said. “I do it all the time.”

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Rose’s eyes lit up – literally. Tiny flames danced in her eyes. “Is it hard?”

Ray’s stomach sank a little. “Not at all,” they said. “Not if they want to go.”

It wasn’t a lie. Usually, Afterlife Cursebreaking wasn’t hard for Dare at all if the ghost consented to it.

But this house was different. This house wanted to hold on to them.

All they were doing now was giving Rose false hope.

“Wow…” Rose’s eyes were shining. “Do me! Send me to Heaven! I want to see if Mom and Dad are there!”

Ray blinked back tears. It was unfair; they were face-to-face with a character they loved and they still couldn’t comfort her with a hug. “Maybe later, okay?” they said. “It’s pretty complicated. You need a lot of stuff for it.”

“Oh.” Rose’s face fell. “Okay. I still think you’re pretty cool.”

“Thanks, Rose.”

“Um…” Rose looked around. “This is weird. I don’t know how to go invisible again.”

“Oh…” Ray rubbed the back of their neck. “I don’t think you can. I used this powder called Ectoplasm Illuminator on you.” Ray held up their hand. “It turns you visible.”

Rose inspected the residue covering it with interest. “Cool,” she said. “But, uh. I want to disappear.”

“I can leave,” Ray suggested.

Rose nodded. Ray gave her an awkward smile as they walked out the door.

So far, they were actually following the plot of Haunted Hearts, for the most part. Dare had gone into the basement and met Theodore, and then gone up into their room and met Rose. What had they done next…?

Ray realized it as they swung the door closed. Dare had touched the door handle while Rose was using her powers and gotten a supernatural burn. Then they’d run into Susan.

Susan had always intimidated Ray a little, even through the screen. She was so smart and beautiful and good with words. Dare had managed to surmount that by simply not giving a shit about embarrassing themself and saying whatever they wanted, but could Ray really have a conversation with her without shriveling up? What if Susan thought she was stupid? What if –

“Mmmmmmmmm.”

A spirit was trying to talk. In a very low and reasonable tone, at that. Ray followed the voice to the study and tossed some Ectoplasm Illuminator in the general area.

Susan was staring at her, characteristic unimpressed expression plastered over her face.

“I can hear you thinking about me.”

Fuck.

That was another thing Ray really should’ve considered.

Susan’s ghostly ability was telepathy.

As an introvert, Susan had to admit that ghost housemates were much better than living ones.

They didn’t often leave their rooms, so they weren’t bothering you all the time. Nobody ran into each other eating or on the way to the bathroom because they didn’t have to do any of that. And the other four certainly added a level of amusing low-grade chaos to the day-to-day monotony of eternal life.

But sometimes, Susan did miss when it had just been the three of them.

Theodore hadn’t wanted her there at first. That was why he’d tried so hard to drive her off back when she’d been alive. He’d complained that Rose was enough to deal with, interrupting his time sulking alone in the basement; he certainly didn’t need another annoyance. Susan hadn’t exactly been fond of him either at the beginning, considering the miniscule but annoying supernatural injuries he’d inflicted on her. The pain of them hadn’t faded until she’d died. They loathed each other.

But then they started needing each other, and then they got… comfortable.

It wasn’t anything close to the family Susan had been trying to make with her fiancé. But Theodore would clumsily open a book for her and she would subconsciously plant fears into the minds of visitors so they didn’t buy the house, and when Rose got upset, they were both there to comfort her.

And then, of course, that damned vlogger had come along.

But it had been nice while it lasted. Really, it had been.

Seemed that life wasn’t the only thing you took for granted until it was gone.

-Moving On and On by Ray Johnstone