Chapter 1

It was a dark night. I couldn’t even see my hand in front of my face. I glance at the dark sky and give a quick prayer that it won’t start raining. I continue walking down the sidewalk quickly. I am heading home from a wicked party! The beer was good and the sex was better. Oliver, my boyfriend had invited me to a college party and I decided to take a risk and go. I lost a lot more then my virginity that night. Just then to my dismay it stated pouring down rain! I start walking faster. I go as quickly as my 5inch heals will allow me to go. But it isn’t very fast. I curse Oliver under my breath. It was 5 am and I had wanted to go home. But Oliver had wanted to stay. Now I know I should have stayed. A car pulls up next to me and I hear a man get out.

 “You need a ride cupcake?” he asks shining a flashlight at me.

“No I think I’ll walk” I say my teeth chattering

“Don’t worry cupcake, I’ll be good”

Common since kicked in and I slowly started backing away from the car. “No but thanks”

Suddenly he pulls out a gun and says “get in the car b***h”

I slowly walk towards the car slipping out of my shoes as I walk. About a foot from the man and 2 feet from the car I take off running. Then everything goes black.

I wake up and I am looking at myself lying on the ground a puddle of blood around me, I have a hole in my head. I am making this up… I have to me… after I stop hyperventilating I reach up and feel the back of my head. This time I know I’m not imagining things. Am I dead? I think? How am I still here? I wonder then a thought comes into my head… am I a ghost! I never believed in ghosts before but now it’s the only logical explanation… light streams from the sun as it just starts to rise. The sky looked as though god himself had bled onto the sky.

 I’ll never go to prom I’ll never eat again I’ll never turn 16 and worse I’ll never see Oliver again! Forthwith the situation makes me start crying I fall to the floor in a heap and just cry. After about and hour of just crying I fall asleep. I dream I’m alive and I’m with Oliver and I am crying about something and he is holding me close. When I wake up I find that my body is being swarmed by cops! My parents are standing behind the yellow tape, crying. I get up and walk to my parents and sit down next to them watching their embrace.

“I will find my killer” I promise them

I get up and walk away. I walk right through a police man and he sneezes. After about 20 minutes of walking a boy about my age appears next to me.

“Hi my names James.”

I back away because I am afraid… no one has been able to see me yet. 

“Don’t be afraid, I’m a ghost too!” he says looking at me concern on his face. Naturally I walk away.

He disappears and reappears in front of me. “H-h-h-h-how d-d-d-d-d-did y-y-y-y-y-y-y-you d-d-d-d-d-do t-t-t-t-that?

“It’s simple… I can show you if you would like…”

Still weary I say “maybe some other time”

“You can trust me!” he practically yells

“And I know this how??” I query looking him in the eyes.

“Let’s go” he says grabbing my hand.  I blink and when I open my eyes I’m in my old school’s gym… Carolina high. Nobody was in the gym… it must be advisory. 

“I’m you guide” James says. “It’s my job to help you do what you need to do so you can cross over.”

He smiles and I begin to feel lightheaded.

“OhMyGosh imma pass out!” I yell

He grabs me and pulls me over to the bleachers and sits me down and pushes my head between my legs. A few minutes later I feel better.

“It’s a lot to take in I know.” He says glancing at me, I glare at him.

“I can teach you many skills but first you have to trust me”

“Like?”

“Transportation, mind reading, solidness, talking.”

“I’m already talking”

“Talking to humans”

“Oh” I feel stupid now I think

He smiles at me “oh yea and you’re not stupid”

He is about 6’2… only 7 inches taller than me… and has red hair and black eyes. Honestly he was hot. And he seemed nice enough.

“Ok teach me”

“First thing you need to know is how to get solid enough to move things.” he grabs my hand and we disappear once again.

When I open my eyes we are at a home. A living room to be exact.

“This is my old home. Nobody lives here so it’s a perfect place for you to learn.

 “Sounds good, so what do I need to do?”

“Concentrate” he lets go of me, steps back and smiles. “Focus on you hand make it solid.”

I concentrate on my hand and after about twenty minutes of trying James finally stops me.

“Whoa girlie! Let me show you, ‘cuz at this rate you are never gonna get it!”

“Girlie?” I snarl at him.

“Girlie. I like it. It stays, girlie.” He winks at me. “Now watch closely”

He closes his eyes and about a second later starting at his feet he starts glowing. It slowly travels up his body. After about 20 seconds his whole body is glowing. He opens his eyes and smiles at me and then he walks over to the couch and sits down and picks up a picture and puts it on the floor.

“Now focus and put it back.”

I do and this time I focus on making my hand glow and soon it begins to glow. I go over and pick up the picture and put it back.

“Good now focus and make your whole body solid.”

About a minute later my entire body is glowing! The glow was a faint yellow.

“Now try making yourself visible.”

“I thought I was visible” I give him the middle finger.

He gives it right back. “To humans girlie, make yourself visible to humans”

I respond by sticking my tong out at him.

He laughs and I glower at him.

He demonstrates. Before he was slightly transparent and now he is solid. It only took him like 30 seconds.

I had gone back to my normal state and I reached out to push him and went right through him! “F**k you!” I say and sit down on the couch.

“Love you too girlie” he says winking.

I make my arm solid and pick up and baseball and throw it at his head. Immediately he becomes the un-glowing, un-solid, transparent James and the baseball makes a hole in the wall where his head was. 

“Nice arm and aim girlie.”

I just can’t win can I? I think.

No you can’t.” I hear in my head.

“Agggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg!” I yell

“I know it’s scary the first time, but all ghost and their guide can communicate in their head… it comes in quite handy sometimes.”

“Have we done enough for today?”

“Yes and you’ve done well”

“Thanks” and to my immense embarrassment I start blushing.

“Come on I’ll show you your room.” I follow him up the stairs to the master bedroom.

“This was my mom’s room.” He says not going in the room. “Take care of her stuff.” He looks like he’s about to cry.

“I will” I take his hand and sit down on the floor. Tears are falling freely.

“Shhh its ok. Everything is ok” I whisper to him.

“I haven’t been inside my house since I died.” He sobbed. “I couldn’t, not after what I did to my mother. My dad killed himself when I was two. On my 16^th birthday I OD on sleeping pills, just like him. My mother was left all alone. Two weeks after I died she got shot. Now I can’t rest because I was supposed to protect her. That was 2 years ago. Ever since them I’ve been a guide. Hoping I can help others pass on even if I can’t.” he leans his head on my shoulder.

I gave his hand a little squeeze to tell him I was still there… “Do you know my story?”

“No” he murmured. 

“My boyfriend wanted me to go to a college party. So I had to sneak out. I chose to leave early so I wouldn’t get caught. It was around 4 am. The party was only     5 miles so I deiced to walk.”

“Only 5 miles??? You should have called a cab!”

“I know but it’s too late to change it now. Besides I thought it was safe.” A loner tear falls down caressing my face. “Then a car drove by and kept pace with me-“

“You got shot?”

“Basically yes”

It was his turn to give my hand a squeeze. I glance over at him and smile. His hand is cold but comforting. Wait! Is Oliver still my boyfriend? Or am I single? Should I even be worried about this?

Suddenly his cold lips are on mine. I close my eyes and all thoughts leave my head. Sparks flew! I let out a moan. His tong invades my mouth. Even though he is cold my mouth is on fire. Yet it’s pleasurable.  Oliver’s kisses never felt like this! My body is burning in fiery pleasure! Everywhere he touches it feels like its burning away my will. All too soon it was over

When he pulled away he spoke, “I’m sorry.”

“Why?”

“I, well, you, I, well your dead but you still have to get over your boyfriend.”

“No I’m totally over him. Besides I think I found someone better.”

He smiles and gives my hand a squeeze. We stood up and walked over to the bed. I lie down and he sits next to me. I put my head in his lap and soon I’m asleep. When I awake he is lying next to me. Watching me. I sit up quickly and he sits up too. I wrap my hands around his neck and kiss him, at first he doesn’t do anything, probably because he is stunned. But soon, after about two seconds, he starts kissing me back and his hands are on my back. Once again I feel his kiss in every inch of my body. 

When we are both done making out we are both outta breath. When I think back to the last few hours I realize how fast things are moving but then again things always move fast with me. But now I can only have relationships that go nowhere. We break apart and I begin to cry. He wraps his arms around me and whispers in my ear… “What’s wrong baby?” I whisper between sobs “I don’t know what I’m doing!”

He doesn’t answer just pulls me closer and I bury my head in his chest and snuggle up into his embrace. I don’t know how long we sat together like that but after a while he says “come one.”

“On what?”

“Tracking the b*****d who killed you.”