THE JOURNEY OF SHEIRA HART

11 | Being A Ghost is Cool, Unless If Somebody Could See You

The sweet smell of flowers seeped into my nostrils as I stared at the urn in the living room. The living room looked different. Probably because there were a lot of flowers more than usual. There were a lot of people in the room. Some looked familiar. Some are just people I did not expect to see. And then I saw one particular girl, sitting in the corner. A handkerchief was on her hands. She was staring at the center, where my urn was set. And her eyes were swollen. As if she’d been crying for days.

“Loren,” I muttered as I stood in front of her.

“Is she your friend?” Mikhael stepped beside me. I nodded and remained my gaze fixed on her. Hoping that she could feel me.

“You’re crying,” Mikhael said and my hand automatically went to feel my face. And indeed, it was wet.

“My mom knows I don’t like flowers and yet she took her time decorating the whole living room with it,” I said as I wiped my tears. I looked at Loren who was sniffling.

“Right. They do smell terrible,” I heard Mikhael say and I just chuckled. I know he’s just comforting me. But whatever it is, I appreciate it.

“My mom would kill you if she heard you say that.” I wiped the remaining tears on my cheeks and then I looked at him.

“Then I’m glad I’m a ghost and she couldn’t hear me.”

I chuckled and shook my head. I looked at Loren again. “Can she feel it if I touch her?” I asked.

“There’s only one way to find out.”

I felt his hand on mine as he guided it towards Loren’s cheek. I smiled as my hand went through her. I really am just a wisp of wind. I crouched down in front of her and hugged her tight. Just enough for me not to pass through completely. And then I kissed her forehead before standing up. I saw her eyes widen and she wrapped her shawl tighter around her shoulders. She looked around, as if looking for the source of the cold whip of wind that just hugged her. As if she knew what she was looking for. As if she knew it was…me.

“She felt you,” said Mikhael and I just smiled, looking at Loren’s confuse face.

“That’s better than nothing, right?”

I gave Loren one last look before I roamed my eyes around to see the familiar faces. I walked past the wall to the kitchen and I saw Melissa and Marjorie. They’re one of the popular kids in school. They could pass off as twins. They have the same shiny blonde hair, same nail color, and almost the same outfit. They once invited me to their summer party and I declined. After that, they never looked at me. Never paid attention to me. Which I was thankful for. I never really wanted to be with the popular kids.

And it’s nice to see them in my house, deciding to pay attention to me now that I’m dead. Not that I’m complaining. It’s just a little funny. And I wonder if it’s weird for me to feel so sad and lonely earlier and now I’m making of the guests. I sighed and left the popular kids alone and looked at the other side of the kitchen where I could see a couple of my guy classmates who were holding a glass of juice.

“Man, I wish they had vodka,” Harry said and I furrowed my brows. He had the same undercut as I remembered.

“My god, Harry. Can you please not?” Sandra, Harry’s girlfriend said. But Harry just shrugged.

“I should be partying right now. You just forced me to come here.”

Sandra gave out an exasperated sigh. “Our classmate just died. Our classmate. Have you no consideration at all?” hissed Sandra and I wanted to give her a high five.

“Harry’s right, though. We aren’t that close to Sheira,” Deither said and grimaced at the juice in his hand.

“The cupcake tastes awful, too,” said Jeffrey who made a gagging gesture right after he took a bite of my mom’s homemade cupcake.

Harry, Deither, and Jeffrey. They’re the school’s popular guys. They’re members of the football team. They’re good at it. But they suck in class. Not that I care about that but I can’t just let them insult my mother’s cupcakes like that. They should know that she was grieving and they should have appreciated the fact that she still made food for them despite losing the daughter.

“You could scare them, you know.”

I looked beside me and I saw Mikhael leaning against the counter checking his nails. I furrowed my brows while staring at him. He looked at me and sighed. “You know, you can make things fly in front of their faces or pour the juice on their shirts. You have a lot of options.”

The moment he said it, a wide grin escaped my lips and it mirrored his. “You can be useful sometimes,” I said and he just placed a dramatic hand on his chest, as if offended.

“I was the reason you’re here in the first place. Oh, Sheira darling, what would you do without me?” He raised his brows and I just shook my head before I marched towards where the guys are. And with one forceful brandish of my arm, a whip of wind hit Diether’s arms spilling the juice on his pants.

“Son of a—“ He stifled the swear that was about to get out of his mouth. Harry and Jeffrey covered their mouths to muffle their laughter.

“Oh, don’t look too happy now. You’re both next,” I said and with another swing of my arm, they both spilled the juice they were holding, spilling it on their shirts and pants.

“What the hell?” they both muttered and stared at each other, as if wanting to blame the other for what happened but paused to realize that they’re victims. Then they looked at Sandra who looked at them wide-eyed.

“What on earth are you three doing?” she hissed. The three guys just shook their head as if it was enough to explain what just happened.

“You three are too much. Have some respect, please,” Sandra said and glared at the three of them before she marched to the living room. The three of them stared at each other, clearly confused of what just happened because they knew—though quite bewildering—that it wasn’t an accident. Somehow, I know they felt like it was done deliberately. And that’s what I wanted them to feel.

I walked closer and placed my arms around their shoulders. I felt them go utterly still. I know they could sense the air getting thicker. Getting colder. The three of them looked at each other.

“I feel sick,” Jeffrey said.

“Me too.” Diether looked like he was about to puke.

I looked at Harry and walked towards him before I wrapped one of my arms around his shoulders too. I literally felt him shiver.

“Guys, let’s get out of here,” Harry said and I chuckled. As if it wasn’t enough, I leaned in to whisper in Harry’s ears.

“Don’t ever come back here you ungrateful bastards.”

Though they couldn’t hear it, I am certain they definitely felt my presence. They’re just aren’t sure what it was. I removed my arms around their shoulders and they scuttled out of the house, not saying anything.

Mikhael walked towards me, hands stuffed inside his pockets. “That would hunt them for a long time, at least.”

I chuckled and before I could even stop myself, I raised my palm, hoping for a high five. And to my surprise, he obliged.

He then winked at me. “See? We make a great team!”

I just shook my head. “If only you’re not an annoying piece of a soul, then we could make a great team,” I said and he just hollered while following me as I climbed the stairs.

“Where are you going?”

I didn’t look at him and just continued walking, not bothering to step aside when people walked past me. It didn’t feel weird. In fact, I feel nothing at all when somebody walks through me. I was expecting I’d feel something like I was shot—not that I know how it feels to be shot—but something like that.

I sighed and continued walking. There were several people on the second floor, too. Most of them were my relatives. I could see my father talking to one of my uncles. I swallowed hard and continued walking with Mikhael behind me. I looked at the pictures on the wall. Pictures from when I was young. I saw Mikhael stare at them too but didn’t say a word.

I stopped in front of my room’s door. I smiled as I saw the stickers I placed there after I won them at a shop. Despite my dislike for flowers, ironically, the stickers were flower designed and are adorning almost half of my door.

“Flowers, huh.” I heard Mikhael said.

I glared at him. “Don’t say another word.”

He gestured of zipping his mouth and throwing the keys away. And I just shook my head before I reached for the doorknob. But then my hand just went through. I closed my eyes firmly as I just forgot I couldn’t touch things. But it did make the knob jangle.

I heard Mikhael stifling his laugher and I bit my lip out of embarrassment.

I stepped through my door. The room was tidy. As if somebody was still sleeping there. I smiled bitterly. My mom must have cleaned it every day. I scanned my eyes around. The posters of my favorite band was still there. My study table became organized for the first time. It was the same room I hated because it was dull. But then I realized I miss it too. 

I ran my finger across the edge of my desk and smiled as I saw the journal I just started a year ago. And then I looked at the bed where I could see Mikhael comfortably sitting.

“Get off my bed,” I hissed.

“You’re such a buzzkill,” he said and remained sitting there. He roamed his eyes around my room where fairy lights were turned on. It still feels like someone was living there. Maybe it was their way of coping about the sudden loss.

“No pictures of your boyfriend, I see.”

I froze on my feet. I never even thought about it. I couldn’t remember if I had a boyfriend or not. But if I had a boyfriend, I should have seen him there at the living room, right? And I should have at least a picture of him inside my room. I sighed.

“At least it relieves me to know that I didn’t die because of my boyfriend.”

“Touché,” he said. “But do you remember having one?”

I looked at my desk where my journal is. With one swift motion of my hand, the pages flipped. It contained pictures of me and Loren and the places we’ve visited during our trips. I could see pictures of food. And then pictures of me and my family. I reached the end of the journal and I couldn’t any pictures of a guy that could be my boyfriend.

“You died single,” Mikhael commented and I just glared at him. He just said what was on my mind.

I flipped the book back and looked at the pictures I clipped on the wall. They were pictures of me and my friends mostly.

“I really didn’t have a boyfriend,” I muttered as I confirmed it.

“I mean you have me, your pretend boyfriend.” I heard Mikhael laughed and I just gave him a blank stare.

I was about to open my mouth to give him a witty retort when the door suddenly burst open.

I froze on my feet when I realized who it was.

It was my little brother.

“Oh, he looks exactly like you.” I heard Mikhael said but my focus wasn’t on him. It was to my brother, Mars who also stood frozen on his feet. He was staring at my closet, wide-eyed.

I heard Mikhael stand up and stuffed his hands inside his pockets. I looked at where my brother was staring at but found nothing. Mikhael did the same.

“Do you think he could see something we couldn’t?”

“Are you an i***t?” I hissed and looked at my brother’s shocked face.

“But what is he staring at?” Mikhael said and stepped in front of my brother. I heard him hitched a breath when Mikhael was close enough to reach and poke my brother’s face.

“I think he could feel our presence a little more intense than how others could feel it.”

I bit my lip as I stepped closer towards where my brother was standing. I stepped in his line of vision and met his eyes. I saw how it widened and moved to the side where my table is. I covered my mouth and tapped Mikhael’s shoulder. I know Mikhael saw it too. He looked at me, wide eyed, before he said, “Your brother can see us.”

And the moment it left his mouth, my brother screamed.

Mikhael looked at me as he said, “He definitely could see us.” 

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