She wanted me to leave her alone, but instead my curiosity flowed without any stops. I wanted to know how she could see me when Jason can’t. So, I floated above her head looking down at her face with mine and flooded her with questions.

“Hey, hey, how do you see me?” I asked, my voice overjoyed.

She was sitting on a chair in the living room and taking a spoonful of stew, she brought it close to her lips, puckering them up and then let out a soft breath. After it was cooled, she put it into her mouth and after chewing it some she frowned.

“Uncle, when will you get better at cooking?” she asked Jason.

Confounded, he rubbed the stubbles on his chin, “I swear I cooked it right this time.”

She put the bowl down on a table, “It taste awful, why not try cooking something else?”

His cheeks turned a blaring red, “Cook it yourself then!” he yelled, then he stormed off to his study.

“I will!” She yelled back, though she seemed mad and didn’t like the stew, she picked it back up and continued eating.

I never got a reply, so I asked her again.

“Heyyy, how can you see me?”

She shot me a fierce glare, “I have no clue or idea of how I see you. Now, would you mind, I’m trying to eat here,” she said, her mouth stuffed full of stew.

“Ah, I get it, of course you wouldn’t understand how you see ghosts,” I wonder if that’s true though. “How long have you seen ghosts?” I asked.

“That’s it, enough with the questions,” she said and then put her bowl down again.

She stood up from the chair and I floated up making sure I stayed level with her face. I expected her to explain, but she isn’t like Sam who is so patient with me. Instead she started swinging her hands, trying to swat at me as though I were a fly that just wouldn’t stop pestering her.

“Shoo! Go away!” she yelled, her hand flying past my face.

This is fun, each time she got close to touching me I would dodge it, going higher and higher.

I laughed and said, “Catch me if you can.”

Then she became angry and jumped high in the air with one of her hands going through me. Once her feet were planted back on the ground she held her hand with the other and stared at it. Her hand started shivering and it built up slowly to a shiver that shook her whole body.

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“Are you okay?” I had to ask, it feels like something could be wrong.

She raised her head and looked at me. Ah, there really was something wrong, how could I mess up like this, I shouldn’t have played around. Her proud visage, the confidence that was her forte, it was gone long gone. Her grimace shattered and what was left behind was an image of a girl suffering with tears streaming down her cheeks. What she was suffering from I didn’t know, but I could tell I was the cause of her suffering.

“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you,” I said as I reached out for her.

“Don’t touch me!” she yelled while backing away. “Please, I beg you, just go away.”

That’s a good idea, I certainly could leave, her actions were quite shocking. And I floated to the doorway of the living room.

“I’m really sorry,” I told her before I left the room.

She didn’t say anything or even look up at me, she held her hand to her chest and I could hear muffled gags between the sobbing. I never meant to hurt her so much, I didn’t know. With the front door in my gaze, I considered going outside and inched towards it.

“I wouldn’t do that,” Sam said, having come from the kitchen after the ruckus.

I had no time to listen to Sam, I need to leave. Not because of what Sophie said, no, because I need to find out more about myself. It’s likely staying in this house and searching for clues will lead me in circles.

I went for it, and after my first mistake, I have learned what it means to stay focused.

“Oof!” I was about to go through the glass when a strong force pushed me back and I landed on the floor.

“Gray… You never listen,” Sam told me as I lied on the floor groaning.

The pain from what happened was light compared to the pain when I didn’t focus, so I don’t understand what just happened. I should have gone through the door.

“What was that?” I asked after getting all my bearings back together.

“We’re trapped in the house, even I can’t leave,” Sam explained.

“Dammit, how am I supposed to find out who I am now,” I said, crestfallen that I couldn’t leave.

“There is a way, but I don’t believe you should do it.”

“How?” Sam had caught my interest.

“Possessing a human, though it comes with its flaws,” Sam replied.

“…Flaws.”

“Sophine is the best example of those flaws. She was possessed once and a part of the soul of the ghost that possessed her stayed. That’s why she can see ghosts, but as you saw earlier when she comes in contact with a ghost, it hurts her. Not only is it physical pain but also due to the trauma of the possession it has left a deep scar in her heart.” Sam explained.

“I see.”

.

.

That was how I met Sophie and learned about being trapped in this house. Afterwards Sam told me who Ellie and Sophie were. They are Jason’s nieces from his wife’s side of the family, their parents are on a vacation, so the two are staying with him while they’re gone. Jason calls them Ellie and Sophie, that’s the nicknames he gave them when they were young girls, but they’re full names are Eline and Sophine Haworth.

I asked if Ellie could see ghosts too, but Sam denied it, “She has something special about her though, far worse than Sophie,” it told me. Curious, I asked what it was, “Ghost repellant,” and that was all Sam told me, which didn’t explain much.

We headed to the second floor and I watched the outside world from the window at the end of the hallway. It took a weight off my chest when Sophie yelled at Sam earlier, I could see that her fiery spirit had returned. As the sun started going down and the moon peaked its head, I heard a door open behind us. I turned back to see who it was, catching a glimpse of gold hair and around the hair there was an odd white shadow and then the door shut.

“Who was that?” I asked Sam.

“Hmm, that was Ellie, she must have had a busy day,” Sam said.

So that was Ellie, that’s the first time I’ve seen that white shadow around someone.