A Ghostly Romance

"Hey, Lexi," my friend, Melissa, called.

I continued to wipe down the tables after the customers left. These people just don't seem how to clean up after themselves.

"Lexi?" Melissa called again. "LEXI!"

I glanced around in the store, then back at her, confused. "Who are you talking to?"

"Your name IS Lexi, isn't it?" she asked.

"No, it's-" I stopped, confused. My name isn't Dani...I looked back up at Melissa.

"What's up with you lately?" she asked.

"I don't know," I answered, flustered. For the past few weeks it's like...I keep forgetting my name. My name is Lexi. I know that. It's always been that way. But it just doesn't feel right to answer to that name. It's like it's a stranger's name. Dani keeps crossing my mind for some strange reason. Lately, I haven't been feeling like myself. I mean...it's kind of like I'm trapped in someone else's body. My best explanation for it is that I'm still trying to figure out who I am. Isn't that what happens with teenagers? Being twenty-three isn't exactly a teenager, but, maybe I still need to figure out who I am since I didn't have any problem with it before.

"Anyway," Melissa continued, "did you know they're thinking about releasing that murderer?"

"The schizophrenic guy?" I asked, trying to shake off my thoughts.

"Yeah," she said, flipping through the newspaper. "He killed two people. He slaughtered them and he got away with insanity. I mean, really?"

"He was schizophrenic," I said, trying to reason with her. "Voices were telling him to kill both of them. He had some delusion that he was going out with that girl, what's-her-face....umm, Danielle, I think."

"They should keep him in that fucking mental hospital," she said. "The guy's a maniac."

"Watch your language," Laura, our manager, shouted from the storage room. "We run a family business and I can't have you mouthing off while we have eight-year-olds running around."

"Sorry," Melissa called back, rolling her eyes and giving Laura the finger behind her back.

"I feel horrible for her parents," I said. "I mean, imagine coming home to see your daughter's friend soaked in blood at the foot of the stairs. Then go to check on your daughter, and find her tied to a bed, obviously dead, and the kid who you allowed to live in your house, holding her, and whispering how much he loves her. It's unbelievable what some people will do."

"Worst part is that his dad was going to pick him up three days afterwards. If his dad came earlier, none of this might've happened." Melissa said, shaking her head. "Absolutely horrible."

"Yeah," I said. "Especially when that Michael guy died. He sounded like a really sweet guy."

"Who?" Melissa asked. "He killed someone else?"

"Well, yeah," I said. "Look, it's in the newspaper."

I quickly scanned the page and didn't see the name Michael ever mentioned.

"I thought he only killed those two..." Melissa said, confused. "Who's Michael?"

"Hmm," I shrugged. "I guess I got that name mixed up from somewhere else."

"I haven't heard of him," Melissa answered back. "Is that the dad's name or something?"

"I don't think so," I said. "I could have sworn that was Dani's boyfriend."

Melissa laughed. "We talk so often about this case that you've given her a nickname and imaginary boyfriend?"

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. "I just...I don't know. It just came out. I don't know what I was thinking." I glanced at my watch.

"Well, my shift's over," I said, clocking out. "I'll catch you later."

"Yeah," she said, still completely absorbed in the story. "No matter what you say," she called after me, "you look just like the girl that was killed."

"I do not," I shouted, before closing the front door. As soon as Melissa and I learned about the case, she continued telling me how similar Danielle and I looked to each other. Ever since then, whenever I'd clock out she'd remind me that she was right and I didn't want to admit it. It was true though. Danielle and I look so similar. We could be sisters, but that's not possible since she died twenty-three years ago. I don't have glasses like she did, but, still. We had the same black hair with some blue streaks, blue eyes, and pale skin, although it was hard to tell what she looked like in the murder scene photos.

I looked at my watch and noticed it was a little after four. I had lots of time to kill before I get back to my dormroom...hmm. I ran back to the store.

"Melissa, do you know where that house was?" I asked.

"Of course I do," she said, talking quicker. "It's not too far from here. It would probably take about thirty minutes to get there."

She wrote down the directions for me on a napkin and handed it to me.

"I wish my damn shift was over," she said. "I'd totally leave this shit hole and see it with you, but, money's money, unfortunately."

"Melissa!" Laura called from the back. "How many times do I have to tell you about your language?"

"Sorry!" She yelled back. "Tell me what it was like when you go there."

"Naturally," I said with a quick smile before walking to the house.

*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The house, I must admit, looked creepy. There was a "For Sale" sign in front of it. Everyone knew the story, so no one wanted to move in. A realtor came from the house and, noticing me, ran down the driveway to meet me. She looked desperate.

"Would you like to look at the house?" she asked. "It's the cheapest price you could ever imagine for a house this size."

"I wonder why," I said sarcastically. "I'd love to look at it."

I walked into the house and immediately looked to the foot of the stairs, my breath caught in my throat. Kevin's body was just lying there in his own pool of blood. His once handsome features (I saw his picture in the news) completely mutilated. Blood splatters covered the walls. I shivered and looked in surprise at the realtor.

"Shouldn't this be gone?" I asked. "This is horrible."

"What do you mean?" she asked, looking at the stairs. "These wooden floors are brand new, just like all features of this house."

I looked back at the stairs and saw she was right. The wooden floors looked amazing and there wasn't anything there. It must have been my overactive imagination, I thought. I walked upstairs and noticed the bedroom door that was partially knocked down. I quickly walked over to it and tried to push the bed, that seemed heavier than usual, out of the way so I could enter the room. I immediately looked at the closet and turned the knob. It was locked.

"Excuse me?" I called to the realtor. She didn't hear me. I turned the knob again and the door opened with ease. Strange...I thought. I felt a shiver run down my spine again. I had a really strong case of deja vu. I looked in the closet and saw a guy sitting in the corner, although he seemed see through. A faint whisper echoed in my ear, "I'll love you forever." I smiled at the memory. I confused myself. How could it be a memory if it's never happened to me? I shook my head and was about to close the door when I noticed a girl was sitting next to him. She kind of looks like the girl from the newspaper...I thought, stepping away from the closet. She looked up and I gasped. She had my face. I looked just like her. I turned to the bedroom door and then back at the closet. Both of them were gone. My stupid imagination, I thought. I've been reading too much about the case.

I decided that I saw enough and turned to the bedroom door to see a girl tied to the bed that was blocking the door. The same girl who was in the closet and in the newspaper. Blood was splattered on the floors and walls. The white bedsheets were soaked in it, and was dripping onto the floor. My mouth dropped in horror. I had never seen anything like this in my life and I never wanted to. I thought the crime scene photos were gruesome but this...I tightly closed my eyes. Realizing I'd have to open my eyes sooner or later, I did. And she was gone. There was no bed. No knocked down door. I was all alone in the empty bedroom. Without a second thought I ran down the stairs and out of the house, never wanting to set foot in the house again, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get the vision out of my head. I saw myself in the closet with that boy. Against my instincts, I glanced up at the window where Danielle was murdered. The boy who was in the closet was standing there, smiling at me. Michael. I knew I didn't make him up! I looked around and smiled back, but he was gone. My heart skipped a beat remembering his face. But as far as I could tell, no one was in the room at all. I turned and walked away from the house, glancing at the window, hoping to see him again, but there was no one in the window.

"What's wrong with me?" I thought, rushing away from the house.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Where is she? Where's Dani? I thought. I read the paper earlier and saw that Richard was about to get released from the mental hospital when it all came flooding back to me. Every single memory of me and Dani. As wimpy as it sounds, I cried when I heard that Dani was murdered by that sick bastard. But then I realized, I'm not the only one who went on to my next life. She did too. That's how the cycle works. And if we're soul mates like she said, we'd have to find each other again. We had to. If I passed the Task, that is. I hope to god I did. How was I supposed to know if I've found her? I look kind of the same. Maybe that happened to her too. Luckily, I wasn't too far away from her house. Well, her old house. A week went by, but I continued searching. Eventually a year, then two then three went by and I still had no idea where she was. I was so worried that I'd never find her again.

"I didn't complete it," I told Nikita Baskov. I remembered Dani mentioning a fortuneteller and I immediately tried to find her since she could help me find Dani. "That must be why I can't find her."

Nikita smiled warmly at me. "You'll find her eventually. I can't say if you've completed the Task or not, but, you'll find her when the time is right."

"But..." I gave out an exasperated groan. "There are billions of people in this world. How am I supposed to find her? She might not even be in this country!"

"Something tells me that will happen sooner than later," Nikita said. "Don't worry about it. Patience is key."

"I don't want to be patient!" I exclaimed. "I want to be with her. I miss her so much my heart aches. What if she's found someone else? What if-"

"Excuse me?" I heard someone shout from the main store. "I'd like to purchase something."

"Can you get that for me?" Nikita asked, with a smile. "I need to...do something. Back here."

"I guess I can. I do work here, don't I?" I grabbed my vest and began heading towards the front of the store.

"Oh! Get your name tag, will you, Michael?" She asked, throwing it to me. "You'll need it."

"What do you mean?" I asked, messing with the name tag in my hand. It felt great to have my old name again. I changed it to Michael as soon as I realized that Dani might be looking for me too.

"Don't worry," she said, pulling her blonde hair into a pony tail. "Just trust me, love."

I nodded, still confused, and walked to the front counter.

"You said you wanted to buy something?" I asked, pinning the name tag to my shirt.

"Uh, yeah," she said, sliding the book onto the counter. "It seemed the most interesting."

I nodded and scanned the book. "That'll be $17.56."

I stopped and noticed the book title when I placed it into the bag. It was a familiar black, leather bound book with the title Soul Mates. I looked up and saw those familiar blue eyes that I fell in love with. I found her.

"Here," she said, handing me a twenty.

My eyes scanned her beautiful features. She had the same black hair. The same blue eyes. I thought how ridiculous I was to think I wouldn't be able to recognize her. I took the twenty and placed it in the register, not once looking away from her. She awkwardly looked at the side shelves, glancing at me when she thought I wasn't looking.

"Here's your change," I said, placing it in her hand, my fingers lingering on her skin. It felt great not having to concentrate on touching her anymore.

She smiled at me and put the money in her pocket. "Can I get my book?"

"Oh," i said, handing it to her. I couldn't help but stare at her. It's been so long.

"Have a nice day, Michael," she said with a smile after reading my name tag. "I really do love that name. See you around." And with that she exited the store.

She didn't remember me. I leaned against the counter, still staring at the door. She was right there in front of me and I didn't do anything. Nikita rushed out from the back.

"What happened?" She looked around. "Where's Dani?"

"She didn't remember me," I answered, still staring at the door.

"But-" Nikita was just as confused and disappointed as I was. "I thought she would..."

"Me too," I replied, finally looking away from the door. Wait! Maybe I can communicate with her with my mind like I did before we died. I cleared my mind, and tried to project my thoughts.

"Come back to the store. Please. I'm waiting for you."

I stared at the door again and, to my extreme surprise, it opened. And she walked in again.

"Hi, again," she said, walking towards the counter, giving a brief nod to Nikita. "You gave me more change than I actually needed. Five dollars more, actually."

"Oh," I said, taking the money back from her. "Sorry."

"It's fine," she smiled, her eyes looking over my face. "You look really familiar. Do I know you?"

I looked at Nikita, who was trying to hide her smile.

"Umm..." I didn't know what to say. She obviously didn't remember me and Nikita said she wouldn't until the time was right.

She held out her hand to shake mine, the same warm smile on her face. "I'm...umm...I'm sorry. Umm...my name is-" she looked down, thinking really hard.

"You don't remember your name?" I asked, feeling excited. The same thing happened to me when I was starting to remember.

"It's...for some reason I keep wanting to say Dani but...it's...hmm..." she looked at me, her cheeks slightly pink.

"Lexi?" I said, reading her name tag.

She looked down. "Uh...yes. That's...that's it. I'm sorry. You must think I'm an idiot."

"I think you're beautiful," I replied.

She smiled and moved some of her black hair behind her ear. "That's really sweet of you. I should get going though."

"Busy night?" I asked, hoping to keep her as long as I could until she remembered.

"Not really," she said, biting her lip. "I don't do this often, but...do you want to do something tonight? I've gotta go to California for a few weeks since I'm a camp counselor. Might as well have some fun my last night here, right?"

I nodded and looked back at Nikita who shrugged.

"Well, I'm gonna get going. I'll see you later at...let's make it seven. Is that fine with you?" she asked.

"Sounds perfect," I replied, running my left hand through my hair. Her eyes watched me and I've had plenty of experience to know that she liked what she was seeing. She left the store, giving me a quick smile as she closed the door behind her.

"She doesn't remember me," I said, feeling a little disheartened.

"Have fun on your date," Nikita said comfortingly. "Just because she doesn't remember doesn't mean she can't fall in love with you."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Dani glanced at her watch. It was midnight and we were standing outside the building for her dormroom after our date.

"I've got to admit, Michael," Dani said with a smile, (she had me call her Dani all night since she was thinking of changing it) "you've got to be the coolest guy I've been with in a very long time."

"That's reassuring to know," I said. We've had a great night and I've been trying my best to make her remember. Whenever our hands touched I'd try to project memories. It didn't seem like it was working, so my goal was to make her fall in love with me again.

She put her hand on my cheek and kissed me. Without thinking I kissed back maybe a little too forcefully. It was hard to control myself, I'm not going to lie. I've been waiting to do this since our last life together.

"I'll love you forever, Dani," I whispered to her, kissing her cheek. "Even if you don't remember me."

She sat back and stared at me for a few moments. Her eyes gazing over my face. She smiled.

"I knew you looked familiar," she said, smiling wider than she had the entire night. "You're the Michael guy who died in that murder aren't you?"

I nodded. Technically I've died twice. She was bound to be thinking of one of the two.

"I've got a confession," Dani said, holding my hand in her own and bringing it to her lips. "I knew it was you from the beginning, Michael."

"What?" I asked, kind of shocked.

"I just wanted an official first date," she said giggling.

"You had me panicking about you never remembering me all night, just so you could get a first date?" I asked, more relieved than annoyed.

"I'm sorry. I just had to," she said smiling. "Can you forgive me?"

"Of course," I said, kissing her forehead.

Dani sighed and wrapped her arms around me. "It sucks that I'm going to have to leave you for a month the day after I've found you again."

"We've waited this long. Four weeks shouldn't be too bad," I said, holding the small black box that was in my pocket. "But, I've got to do something I've been wanting to do for a long time."

"What is it, Michael?" she asked, putting her hair behind her ear.

I got down on one knee and she looked at me in complete surprise. "I love you more than anything, Danielle Ryans. Will you marry me?"

She smiled at me and let out a sigh of disbelief before tackling me in a hug. She pressed her lips against mine and kissed me. "Of course I'll marry you."

I was so elated that all I could do was kiss her. My heart was racing with excitement.

"But we won't be able to talk to each other for a month," she said, pouting. "I don't want to leave you now..."

"Don't worry, Dani," I said, pulling her into a hug. "We've got the rest of eternity together."

She pulled away. "You know what? That doesn't sound half bad."

I gave her a quick hug and peck on the lips. "You should go. Something tells me you haven't even started packing yet."

"Yeah..." she said, reluctantly stepping away from me.

"Don't worry, babe," I said smiling. "I'll be here waiting for you, like always."