Two clear blue eyes fluttered open along the irritating noise of an alarm in the morning. The mornings after a night shift were the most difficult for Andrew. Instead of waking up as usual, he picked up his phone to see that he didn't have any messages. Usually, there would be at least one message from Clare.

'She must be upset still...' he ignored the school belle and instead scrolled down to another person.

"Beatrice..." He smiled, checking up on the single message they had exchanged with one another.

"Hey!" They each sent just to make sure the contacts had been saved before he dropped her in her station and carried on. Andrew thought about it for a few minutes before deciding against it, he wouldn't message her immediately.

'I will wait until lunchtime... yes, that's better'.

With an enthusiastic smile, he woke up, tidied up the bed and headed into the ludicrous bathroom sadly... the smile only lasted until he threw a handful of cold water on his face to completely wake up. Andrew looked at himself in the mirror and tilted his head in confusion which immediately switched into a panic.

!!!

"AHHH!!"

Andrew turned around with his heart shaking harder than an earthquake and saw that there was no one else in the room with him, his gaze drifted left and right but there was nothing. Just now he had seen someone leaning on the wall, looking at him. The silhouette was completely black with two crimson eyes.

"A-Anyone there?" He asked, looking around, every single spot, every cupboard, outside of the bathroom into his bedroom, everywhere... there was nothing.

"..."

The only noise was the one of the hot water tap flowing since he had left it running in his rush and heartbeat.

'Was that my imagination?' He wondered, never having experienced something like that before... that.... thing.

'I-If that was real, was it a ghost? it didn't look like a ghost...'

**

**

During the journey to the campus, Andrew wasn't able to set his mind apart from that incident, it was something unique and unprecedented in many ways. Not only the way of the apparition but also... the 'thing' that appeared.

Nevertheless, Andrew was bound to find something at the campus that would take his attention apart from whatever he had experienced back home. There were many police vehicles in front of the campus... it caught his attention, but he didn't give it too much thought until he entered the campus and found that the students looked unsettled and even nervous.

'What is this?'

His first instinctive action was to find Clare, but she was nowhere to be seen. Upon entering deeper into the campus he eventually found a group of people standing in front of the director's office, they were the police and there were also several other first-year and second-year students involved. Among them, there was Clare.

There was Mariah Belle, the bully girl and also some of the friends that belonged to that group. There was also Sophia standing not too far away from him, she was looking at everything that a gaze he considered was nothing short of poisonous. What called for his attention was that just like the last time he saw her -heading into the campus during the evening- she still looked haggard and in disarray.

"Did you have a fight, Sophia?" He approached and asked her, his first thought was that she had a fight with Mariah and her group and it became so violent that police got involved, it was not something uncommon considering the two of them had a rather high profile.

"A-Ah?"

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Instead of immediately answering, Sophia turned to look at him in disbelief and confusion.

"What's wrong? they're investigating something, right? did you fight with Mariah?" He asked again, even standing beside her... the two of them had spoken a few times before when she was still in Clare's group, but not enough to be considered 'friends'... if anything, Sophia seemed to hate his guts most of the time.

"Y-You can see me...?!" The beauty screamed in disbelief at an unprepared Andrew.

"..." the boy's countenance immediately lost all colour and he refused to turn his head around.

'Oh, shit... no...'

"Andrew!" Clare -who had bags in her eyes- came rushing towards a pale Andrew and hugged him tightly.

"C-Clare, Sophia..." He stuttered and a crying Clare pushed her head on his chest and spoke in utter sadness.

"They found her body two days ago! s-she committed suicide!" Clare looked broken and stressed, Sophia was a deep friend of hers, and what she could have never expected, was that the ghost of her friend was standing right in front of her, looking at Andrew with immense shock.

"..." The boy had no words to say or convey, first the shadow in the bathroom, now this, 'I-Is it my imagination or there are too many odd things happening lately?'

"Y-You can see me…" She repeated, but Andrew played monkey and ignored her until the beautiful girl -now a confirmed ghost- started shaking him by the shoulders!

"Don't pretend now, Andrew! You can see me! w-wait, I can touch you as well!?"

'Oh my god...'

**

**

Andrew was still hugging a crying Clare, staring into the nothingness while a literal ghost shook his shoulders with intensity. Due to the commission caused by Clare's shouts, everyone's attention was placed on him, including the police officers.

"You're Mr Andrew Mayers, right?" A rather tall man in a police uniform asked him, he was together with a female cop and another man. There were other officers, but they seemed to be questioning other students far away.

There was also someone else, a tall man in a rather expensive suit with bags under his eyes and a stressed expression, he had been talking to one of the cops until he spotted Andrew. He knows who this man is: Leon Jones, Sophia's father and the boss of the Manhunt Buffete in Manhattan.

A multimillionaire attorney.

"Y-Yes, what can I help you with, officer?" Andrew asked, not too enthusiastic to answer questions. All he wanted to do was take Clare and run the hell away from here, but sadly... it wasn't possible.

"Andrew you have to help me! Sasha was murdered and I was murdered! It wasn't suicide! That slut's parents did it, Mariah Belle! Please help me! she can't get away with this!" Sophia was yelling at him as if her lungs were still working properly and she wasn't a spirit. Andrew could even confuse her for a banshee at this point.

The more she spoke, the more flustered he became. Although witnessing human ghosts was a usual phenomenon, talking to them and holding a conversation wasn't... occasionally they'd say a few words and go on their way. Or he'd just hear voices that he'd ignore... but right now, this beautiful yet haggard ghost who was also an acquaintance was yelling at his face and he was the only one that could see her.

"My name is Carl. We need you to tell us everything you knew about Sasha Brooks and Sophia Jones. Two suicides happening of two students on the same campus with such a tight timeline make us suspicious of any criminal activity taking place in this school. I hope you will be able to enlighten us with some useful information, Mr Mayers" The man stated politely.

"Andrew…" Sophia's father finally approached, he looked so broken and sad, as if he could collapse at any moment.

"Mr Leon, I-I don't know what to say..." Andrew didn't know what to do, everyone was looking at him. Clare, Leon, the police, Mariah's group... Sophia. What did they all expect?

'I know who the culprit is now, but... can I say it? it isn't that simple, Sophia!'

"Andrew please… no one will go against the Belles... there are regional elections taking place in a week and Mariah's father will be postulated. Only your Mayers family can do it! not even my father can... please help my father, he knows I wouldn't commit suicide or something so stupid!" Sophia was insistent, imparting desires and will on him without knowing the slightest bit about his circumstances. Once again, assuming he was almighty.

Andrew could only bite his lips harshly, 'I would have to involve my uncle... and Archonte... the Belles are a strong family with a huge political background, fighting against them is not something beneficial for the Mayers, my uncle would never approve of this'.

In the same room was Mariah, her countenance was pale yet professed confidence as if she was reluctant to give away any hints just like her friends.

'If it is such a corrupt scandal with even a hitman involved, the political repercussions will be huge. I-Is it worth it? I don't know Sasha Brooks and Sophia Jones that well... why must I get involved in this?'

With all gazes on him, Andrew exhaled deeply.

'If I was the chairman of Archonte… how would I handle this? as Andrew Mayers... how would I handle this? why would my father do? what would mother say?'

After thinking for a long time and sending Mariah a glare, he sighed, giving a lot more weight than he expected to his mother and father's teachings.

'Andrew, the right thing to do... is the right thing to do regardless of consequences... my father founded Archonte with those beliefs. I'm sorry, uncle... but I'm not qualified yet'.

Andrew exhaled and opened his blue shining eyes, "I know some things that may help, officer Carl".

!!!

"I-I also know something, officer".