Still Here.

"Want a granola bar?" Leila held out the box towards him as she glanced down at the paper in front of her. Without really noticing wether or not he took one, she headed for the center of her room and plopped down on the floor, opening the newspaper up. Her eyes scanned the pages and she nibbled on her granola bar, which slipped through her fingers with a gasp as she pointed at the section before her.

---

"Yeah," Mason chuckled. He reached down to pick up a handful of rocks and stared down at them, not knowing where to take the conversation. Girls weren't something he knew a lot about seeing as he didn't really date. His teeth gnawed at the inside of his cheek as he started skipping the rocks across the pond in front of him.

@ XxLithiumWingsxX

@ NauticalNonsense;;

Steven nodded before taking the granola bar and started to chow down on it with a relieved sigh. It felt like he hadn't eaten in a few days but it wasn't like he was starving either. He was a little confused about that. Finishing up with it, he crumbled up the wrapper, tossing it into the garbage can. The next thing he knew was that Leila gasped,"What.. What's wrong?" He took a step closer to her before reading the front of the paper. It was about a dead boy who was murdered... the picture looked just like him.

--

Reaching over, she grabbed some of the rocks that he had taken, flashing a cheeky smile before starting to skip them as well. "Wow.. you're actually speechless right now." She laughed since he always had something to say about everything whether it be a comeback or a comment.

@ lost in stereo;

"oh my gosh! I can't believe you were murdered," Leila started at the newspaper and then glanced up at the ghost boy standing in front of her. "Did it hurt? I mean.. Oh, jeez. That's stupid question and so inconsiderate of me, I doubt you even remember it..." she trailed off, babbling. Her eyes went back to the picture of him on the newspaper before her, not really wanting to look back up in case he was upset with her.

---

"Yeah.." Mason mumbled, "I'm not used to talking to girls about relationship-y stuff and I'm sure you want to discuss what happened last night. I mean, I know it wasn't like a huge deal but I can't stop replaying that moment in my head." Mason could feel the fire that simmered beneath the flesh of his cheeks.

@ XxLithiumWingsxX

@ lost in stereo;

"Murdered? I can't be dead. I mean, I'm right here and.. and that would sort of make sense as to why most people don't see me anymore.. I just.. I can't understand why I'm still here as a ghost then." He started to feel light headed from realizing the truth that he had been murdered. Taking in a deep breath, Steven looked down at the paper again to see his name as the front headlines. "At least I know my full name now. Steven Baker." He recited, remembering that it sounded familiar. "It's okay.. I don't remember how it happened or why, so I am guessing it couldn't have been too bad."

--

Lily nodded her head right back since she was never one for relationships either. Going through her first relationship made her never want to have another one again, but Mason was different from every other guy. "Yeah, I feel the same way. It's like.. butterflies form in my stomach and I don't know what to do about them," She admitted, tucking a loose piece of hair behind her ear.

Leila watched him carefully, yearning to reach out for him but not wanting him to get mad at her for it. "There has to be some reason you're still around. And there has to be some reason I can see you." She chewed at her bottom lip, letting the gears in her head turn. "Well, there is one thing we ought to do if you're up to it... That is, if you really want to find out what's going on..."

---

Mason let a small smile tug at his lips. "You know, I never thought of you as the shy type. You've always been so strong willed and confident." He let his fingers creep closer to hers, only leaving them a centimeter apart.

@ XxLithiumWingsxX
Sorry, my life has been a wreck. Between school and my cat dying... Things are a little hard.

@ lost in stereo;

(Aww, I'm so sorry to hear that :( Feel better!)

Steven locked eyes with Leila wondering if she really wanted to go through this journey with him. It would be dangerous and take time out of her schedule to help him out. "Are you sure, Leila? This.. This isn't going to be easy. You're still in high school and I'm dead." The words felt foreign coming out of his mouth. With a sigh, he moved his hands into his pockets. "Let's do this then." He had never been so sure of something in his life.

--

"You mean, loud and annoying?" She corrected because she knew that it was the truth. Looking down at their hands, she could see that it was they were inches apart. "I'm glad you like my personality though." Moving her hand, she interlaced their fingers together.

Leila nodded her head, curtly, and moved to her computer to see if she could find out anymore about the boy named Steven Baker. Not much really appeared on the screen, just a few newspaper articles. "It seems as if they haven't found out who your murderer is quite yet." Her eyebrows furrowed together as she glanced over at Steven.

---

"I never thought of you as annoying. Loud maybe, but never annoying." Mason defended himself. "I can't speak for Leila though," he chuckled as he glanced down at their entwined fingers. Speaking of Leila made his heart contract a bit; he was ultimately terrified of what his best friend would have to say about what was happening.

@ XxLithiumWingsxX
(It's okay. In fact, I'm getting a new kitten. I know it won't be the same, but my grandma thinks it's what's best for me and Snickers - her chihuahua, my cat's best friend.)

@ lost in stereo;

"That's great. My killer is still out there though." He sighed but hoped that the authorities would catch the person soon. Steven couldn't even remember what had happened moments before his death. Maybe it was for the best that he couldn't remember though. "Anything else other than that?" He questioned while starting to lean forward to look at the screen.

--

Lily laughed because she knew that her sister definitely classified her as annoying. The two could never get along when it came to anything. Leila liked Mason because Lily bickered with him all the time. "Well, I'm happy to hear that." She offered a smile then saw the worry in his eyes. "My sister.. She.. She can get upset but she never stays upset. You know this."

(Aww, at least you're getting a new kitten!)

"Not much." Leila chewed at her lip. "There has to be someting more we can find out about you. Something to link us to some friends or family." She could feel him close behind her and she shivered slightly.

---

Mason laughed a light and nervous laugh, "I know. It's just... She and I never fight, really. I hate it when she's mad at me." He looked back down at their hands. "But if you really want to go through with this, then I think it'll be worth it." He, then, offered her a bright smile.

@ XxLithiumWingsxX

@ lost in stereo;

Steven continued to scan through the text of the article but there wasn't much that they could identify with. Being a minor and all, it was hard to find out any information because of the legal protection. "Is there a general area? It usually says where the crime occurred and it shouldn't be far from here." He questioned with a small sigh.

--

She could understand that Mason wouldn't want his best friend to be upset with him. "Are you sure? It feels.. awful to be the cause of a fight." Looking away from a moment, she paused to admire the stream. "You guys never fight but when you do it's horrible. Leila doesn't come out of her room for days."

"Actually," Leila said as she spotted a bit of useful information, "there is a name of town. Lone Oak, it's not that far from here. 15 minutes-ish" She finished, offering him a smile.

---

"Well, we don't have to mention anything right now," Mason nudged her with his shoulder, a smile tugging at his lips. "We're still just teenagers trying to figure everything out."

@ XxLithiumWingsxX

@ lost in stereo;

Lone Oak? That didn't sound all that familiar to him. "Maybe." He shrugged in response while continuing to read the article. It was a little disappointing for him to not even remember the name of his hometown. Steven sighed while moving away from the computer and sat down on the ground. "I just can't help but feel.. really upset right now."

--

Lily laughed in response to the solution then felt a grin on her face. "Okay, we could just.. feel this out." Nodding, she thought that this could work out. They would just have to be careful around Leila and everything would fall into place.

"I'm so sorry," Leila said as she slipped out of the computer chair and into the floor next to him. She slowly slid closer until she was able to wrap her arms around him and embrace him into a hug.

---

"Sounds like a perfect plan to me," Mason chuckled in response to her laughter. "So, tell me what you would like to do from this moment?"

@ XxLithiumWingsxX
(I'm sorry that I've been such a bad responder. I've barely even thought of this site since I started school and I feel pretty bad about it. I've just barely managed to check up on my contests and that's about it. My spaciness will most likely continue for awhile. I have no idea how long it's going to last, so if that makes you not want to roleplay with me any longer I can understand that. Just know that you're not the only person I'm doing this to.)

@ chandelier;

(No, I understand and I am willing to continue the roleplay. Just respond whenever you get the chance, especially since I am also in the same position)

Without even realizing it initially, he felt a pair of arms snake around his shoulders. It was even more odd for him to feel human contact after knowing he was truly dead. "It's not really your fault, so you shouldn't have to apologize. If anything, my killer should apologize to me." Steven gave a half-hearted laugh with a shake of the head.

--

"I think we should just stay over here. You know, my sister may be out and about." Lily explained with a small frown. She definitely wanted to be out in public with Mason, but it was still too early for her sister to get hint of a relationship. "I'll challenge you to a rock skipping contest. How about that?"

@ XxLithiumWingsxX

"I doubt they would. I just don't see why someone would murder a teenage boy though..." Leila chewed at her bottom lip, in thought, "You weren't a bully were you?" It felt weird talking about him in past tense, especially since she still had her arms around him and he felt very alive to her.

---

Mason chuckled at her idea of a contest. "I will totally beat you," he said, overly sure of himself. "Though, I feel like something weird is up with your sister. Think I should text her and make sure she's okay?"

@ chandelier;

Steven shrugged his shoulders since his guess was as good as hers. "I don't think I was a bully.." Glancing down at the ground, he tried to think back to when he was alive but there was only a giant blank. "Leila, I hope I wasn't a bully. That would be pretty awful of me."

--

"Cool, let's do this." She grinned while picking up a rock but paused at the mention of Leila. With a small sigh, she couldn't shake the odd feeling that something had happened to her. "Maybe.. If there's anyone she would tell, it would be you."

@ XxLithiumWingsxX

"Yeah, well... Not all bullies are horrible... Some are just misunderstood." Leila flashed him a mouth full of pearly whites.

---

Mason nodded, "Well, what are best friends supposed to be for?" He grinned at her, trying to get rid of her frown, and then proceeded to text Leila a quick, hey, are you alright? You seemed a bit odd last night. He didn't care if that last bit sounded rude because if your best friend wouldn't tell you you were being odd, then who would?

@ chandelier;

"Thanks for trying to make me feel better." Steven offered a smile back and gave a small shake of the head to dismiss any negative thoughts. Moving towards the door, he glanced back over his shoulder,"Well, let's investigate, we shall?"

--

At times, Lily was jealous of the bond between Mason and Leila; how they were able to understand each other so well. She never had anything like that with her friends. Not that they didn't like her or they didn't get along, but.. it just wasn't the same. "I hope everything's alright." She commented with a slight sigh.