Falling For a Ghost? How Is That Even Possible?

I opened my eyes slightly. Immediately I was blinded by the bright lights.

“Finally,” a rough, annoyed voice said.

I sat up in my bed and looked over to my father sitting in a chair next to my bed. He had his arms crossed and a very mad look on his face. What happened...? Oh. Crap.

“First I get a call from school saying that you’ve gone missing, and then you just suddenly appear up here. I’ve been home all day and I never saw or heard you come home. Explain yourself. Now.”

I blinked. How the hell was I supposed to answer that question when I didn’t even know the answer!? The last thing I remembered was walking to my car…then…I fell…No, I fainted. And Cale was there. He picked me up and…But how did he pick me up? I grabbed his wrist earlier and my hand went right through his?! It was almost like he was invisible. Like a ghost or something… What the fuck is going on!?!

Dad stood up from his chair and put his face right in front of mine. “Answer me!”

I back away from him and up against the wall. Hot tears of confusion and anger flowed down my cheeks. “I don’t know,” I said coyly.

His face turned red and he pulled back away from me. “You were skipping school to go fuck some guy, right?!” He spit at me. “Just like your mother. A fucking whore.”

‘Don’t talk about her like that!” I yelled.

Instantly his right fist slammed into the side of my face. I fell back and hit the wall.

“Don’t you ever talk back to me!” he yelled.

I pushed myself away from the wall and got off my bed, now standing in front of him. “And you wonder why she left you!? You beat her! You abused her!”

He grabbed me and flung me into a desk. Sharp pains rose in my back when it hit the corner of the desk. I fell to the ground with a loud thump, now on my knees and elbows. While I busy trying to catch my breath and recover from the shock, he took his foot and kicked me underside. I coughed and fell over onto my side. Then he kicked me again…and again…and again.

Cale, I thought to myself. Why did you bring me back here? My head was fogging and dizzy. I knew I was fixing to pass out again.

I saw my father grab something off the desk. It looked like a lamp. I squeezed my eyes shut, preparing for the impact…but it never came. Instead, I heard a crash and my eyes flew open.

My father was sliding down the wall, the lamp busted on the floor, with a look of terror on his face. His eyes were frantically searching the room. “Who’s there?!” He yelled frightened.

“ NEVER touch her again! If you do, I will not hesitate in killing you.

My father stood up from the wall, his back and hands flat against it. “Who are you?! What do you want?!”

GET OUT!

My father ran along the edge of the wall and out the door, slamming it behind him.

It was a struggle to keep my eyes open. My eyelids were heavy and I could only see out a slit. But that was enough. Right before I went out, I saw the familiar face of the one who brought me here. Back to my hell.

Then all went dark. Again.

“Amy…” A beautiful voice called. “Amy, wake up.”

I groaned as I opened my eyes. I was lying on my bed under the covers, and sitting there, at the edge of my bed, was Cale.

“Cale…” I whispered.

He smiled down at me. “I’m glad you’re awake. I was afraid that you might have had a concussion-”

‘Where’s my father?” I interrupted.

His smile disappeared and was quickly replaced by one of hate. “He left a while ago. I’m not sure when or even if he’s coming back.” His beautiful face softened. “Amy, what happened?”

I chuckled lightly and sat up. “What did it look like? My father beats me, so what? Tons of other fathers do it, too. It’s no big deal.”

Cale’s eyes hardened and his fists clenched. “It is a big deal, Amy. When I saw him…When I came back and saw what he was doing I-”

I groaned and put my head in my hands. “Cale, what’s going on? Is there something wrong with me?”

He frowned. “There’s nothing wrong with you, Amy. Or at least not that I could tell. Your stomach will be sore-”

“NO!” I practically screamed at him. I could feel the tears start to swell up again. “That’s not what I meant! I know that I should have grabbed your hand yesterday at the park, and I know that those keys should have landed in your hand…Twice is not a coincidence.”

He stood up and walked to the other side of the room, near the window. The sunlight cascaded through the sheer curtains and lit up his face. He sighed and looked down at the floor. “Nothing’s wrong with you…It’s me.”

I pushed the covers off of me and swung my legs over the edge. “What?”

Cale looked at me. His grey eyes looked sad and lonely. “I’ve been watching you for some time now. It started a few days before we met at the movies.” He smiled to himself and ruffled his hair. “God, how you surprised me. I didn’t think you would be able to hear me…”

Oh. My. God. He was a stalker! WHY?! Why are all the good ones always so bad!?
I drew my feet up into the bed and quickly thought of where a weapon was. I thought there was a Swiss army knife in my night stand...

“Amy?” He took a step towards me and I threw open the night stand drawer.

HA! Yes! I quickly flipped open the knife and waved it at him. “Stay away from me, stalker!”

Cale stopped moving, threw his head back, and laughed. “I’m not a stalker.”

My eyes narrowed. “I’m not convinced. You just told me that you’ve been watching me for a while now. That’s sounds like a stalker to me!”

Cale walked forward and effortlessly took the knife from my hands. He closed it and tossed it in the night stand. “Amy, I’m not a stalker, but I have been watching you. You interest me. The first time I saw you, I just…well, I don’t know what. I just felt something, you know?”

“Get to the point and maybe I won’t call the cops.”

He sighed and shook his head. “I don’t know why you can hear me…I don’t know why you can see me... You shouldn’t be able to.” Then more to himself he added, “I should talk to the council about this.”

I frowned. “What are you talking about?” When he didn’t answer, I said it louder. “Cale, talk to me!”

His grey eyes bore into mine. The sunlight was behind him, outlining his body. He looked like an angel.

“Amy…I’m not human.”

I blinked. Say again?

He walked in front of me and half smiled. “Amy… I’m a ghost.”

My breath got caught in my throat. “No,” I managed between coughs. “You can’t be… Ghosts aren’t real… I can SEE you! I can HEAR you! You’re lying.”

“I wish I was.”

After I stopped coughing and looked into his honest eyes, I knew it was true. It’s why the keys fell onto the ground, and why I missed his hand. It’s why my father looked so scared and confused, because he couldn’t see Cale.

Cale was a ghost.