Chapter Three: The Invisible Shadow in Class
The next morning, the boy stood at the school gates. His uniform was crisp, his bag slung carelessly on one shoulder, his expression unreadable as always. Around him, the world bustled students laughing, cliques forming, the chaos of first days renewed.
He didn't flinch at the chatter. He didn't wave. He didn't smile. He simply walked, steady, silent, a shadow slipping into place.
But of course, he wasn't alone.
"Whaaaaaat is this?" the girl gasped dramatically, floating just behind him as he crossed into the courtyard. "An actual school! With actual humans! I've only dreamed of this moment. I mean, sure, my dreams usually involve ice cream rivers and flying llamas, but THIS is almost as good."
Students passed through her as though she were nothing. A tall basketball player brushed right through her arm, making her shiver with a ghostly ripple. She stuck out her tongue at him.
"Rude. Not even a hello. Don't mind me, just the lonely ghost tagging along with Mister Silent Hero." She twirled around the boy, walking backwards to keep her face in his line of sight. "So, when exactly are you going to explain? You know *why* you can see me when nobody else can. Are you secretly half-ghost? Did you drink magic eye drops? Are you cursed? Blessed? Bitten by a radioactive specter?"
He pushed the classroom door open without answering.
The room quieted.
Eyes turned. Some students whispered. A few girls near the window sighed softly, while others sized him up with curiosity. He ignored them all and sat in the last row, by the window the universal spot for mysterious protagonists everywhere.
Naturally, she hovered beside him, chin in her hand, observing the class like a tourist on a guided tour.
"Ohhh, this is juicy. Look at all these characters. Let's see…" She pointed invisibly at each student. "Shy girl with glasses scribbling notes? Definitely secretly brilliant. Loud guy cracking jokes in the corner? He'll either be comic relief or heartbreak material. Oh! Pretty blonde queen bee. She's already glaring at you. Probably jealous. Probably trouble. And" she paused, gasping as a lanky boy dropped his books "klutz sidekick! Every good high school drama has one. This place is AMAZING."
The boy simply opened his notebook.
She groaned. "You're impossible. Don't you get it? You're the *only* person who can see me. That means we're tied together. Fated. Bonded by ghostly destiny! We should be investigating this, not sitting through oh no. Ohhh no. Math?"
The teacher entered, flipping through notes. The girl pressed her palms against her cheeks and groaned louder. "Math? MATH?! I died okay, not sure if I died but I EXIST in a spooky supernatural limbo and I'm still trapped in math class? This is hell. Actual hell."
he justscribbled numbers, unbothered.
She slumped on the desk, half her body phasing through it. "You're cruel. Silent and cruel. Handsome but cruel. What am I supposed to do for the next fifty minutes? Watch you solve equations?"
The teacher droned. Students yawned. Time crawled.
By the time the bell rang, she shot upright, stretching dramatically. "Freedom! Sweet, merciful freedom! Honestly, that was worse than eternity alone in the house. At least there I could sing without getting shushed."
He stood, sliding his notebook into his bag.
"Hey, hey!" she zipped in front of him, blocking his path. "You're ignoring me on purpose, aren't you? I can feel it. You could say something. Just a word. A hint. A teeny-tiny explanation. But noooo. You're Mister Broody Eyes, full of secrets."
"Annoying," he muttered, brushing past her.
She beamed. "Ha! That's three words total today! You're improving. Soon you'll be writing me love letters."
He stopped at the water fountain. She leaned over his shoulder, whispering loudly. "Sooooo. Any chance you're planning to tell me your name? Because I'm getting tired of calling you Handsome. Well, not *that* tired it's accurate but still. Names are important. Magical. Binding. Legendary."
A voice cut in.
"Hey, new guy!"
A tall boy with wild hair and a grin approached, clapping him on the shoulder. The ghost girl tilted her head, intrigued.
"Name's Kai," the boy introduced himself. "You're in my math class, right? Man, you're quiet. Gotta loosen up. First day's all about making connections."
The ghost girl gasped. "Kai! Of course the cheerful extrovert is named Kai. That fits. Classic. Perfect. Love it." She leaned close to the new boy. "Go on, introduce yourself. Say your name. Say it out loud so I can finally know"
But he didn't. He only gave Kai a small nod.
Kai laughed. "Tough crowd, huh? Don't worry, I'll crack you eventually. Come on, let's head to the cafeteria. Lunch is where the real bonding happens."
As Kai tugged him toward the cafeteria, she floated alongside, still ranting.
"You're the WORST. You had the perfect chance! Kai asked, you could've answered, and I'd finally know your name. But noooo. Mister Mysterious stays mysterious. Fine. Fine! I'll guess.
—
The cafeteria buzzed with chaos. Trays clattered, voices rose, and laughter echoed. The boy sat quietly at the edge of the room, Kai dragging a chair beside him.
The ghost girl zipped around the tables like a child at a carnival. "Ohhh this is heaven. So many people! So many dramas brewing! Look at that couple holding hands. Bet they break up by next week. And that guy stuffing fries in his mouth? He's definitely gonna choke one day. Tragic. I love it."
She plopped down across from the boy, ignoring that she went straight through the chair. "So! Here we are. Lunch. Perfect opportunity for you to explain how you can see me. Ready? Go."
He bit into an apple silently.
She narrowed her eyes. "Don't you dare chew dramatically at me. That's rude."
Kai glanced between them, confused, though of course he couldn't see her. "Man, you really don't talk much, huh?"
"He talks to ME," the ghost girl said smugly, folding her arms. "Sometimes. Once in a while. Okay, fine, barely ever. But still! It counts."
The boy's gaze flicked to her briefly, and she stuck her tongue out at him.
Kai misread it entirely. "Oh, you've got that brooding loner vibe going. Girls eat that up, you know."
The ghost girl burst out laughing, nearly falling off the table. "Oh my gosh! If only they knew! If only they could see this. A ghost girl glued to your side, and you're out here accidentally charming people. You're doomed. Doomed, I say!"
Kai finished his apple, stood, and walked away.
She zipped after him instantly. "Hey, wait up! Don't ditch me! We're a package deal now. Where you go, I go. Haven't you realized? You're my only lifeline. And I'm yours, whether you like it or not."
For once, he stopped. His eyes met hers steady, serious.
"You're not dead," he said quietly.
Her breath caught.
"…What?"
"You're not dead," he repeated, his voice low, certain.
The cafeteria noise dimmed around her. Her usual stream of chatter vanished, replaced by a cold, trembling silence inside her.
She laughed nervously. "O-okay. That's… That's funny. Good joke. Ha. Hilarious."
But his eyes told her he wasn't joking.
For the first time since they'd met, the girl didn't know what to say.