Young Writers Society

For as long as you can remember, you've been able to see them.

When you were younger, people claimed that they were just your imaginary friends. You tried to tell them that they weren't, but no one believed you. As the years went by, they were brushed off as a way for you to seek attention. Your protests fell upon deaf ears no matter how loud you screamed them out.

So you locked away the part of you that believed. You explained them with incorrect science and hollow words. The man with the dead eyes was a result of your stress. The sound of their voices was just the wind. The chill was because you were catching a cold.

You were able to find some of the parts to a reality that was never yours, but you were never able to create the complete picture. Your facade was far from perfect and you knew it.

But, though you were oblivious to it, people were searching for you. They've always been searching, but not for you in particular. You only fit the requirements. Only you could help others with the gift that you always considered to be a curse.

You're one of the few people in the world who can see ghosts, and they need your help.

Please delete anything in the parentheses! That information is there to help you create your character(s). Also, though it isn't included in the templates, please think about the flaws of each character you create.

Code: Select all

[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Gender:[/b]
[b]Appearance:[/b] (Please include what their death wound looks like, if it's a visible one!)
[b]Personality:[/b]
[b]Up for Romance:[/b] (If they are, please include what their sexuality is!)
[b]Backstory:[/b] (Please include when and how they died! Also include why they joined Stargazers.)
[b]Other:[/b]

Code: Select all

[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Gender:[/b]
[b]Appearance:[/b]
[b]Personality:[/b]
[b]Up for Romance:[/b] (If they are, please include what their sexuality is!)
[b]Backstory:[/b] (Please include the first time they saw a ghost! Also, state if they're a new member or an old member of Stargazers.)
[b]Other:[/b]

A gentle morning breeze blew through her room's sole open window. Her eyes slowly opened as the cheerful songs of the birds that called her backyard home registered. With a loud yawn, she sat up and stretched. After checking her phone for messages she knew wouldn't be there, she got out of bed.

The rest of her morning routine passed without incident. A pleasant feeling hung over the entirety of it; she felt like it was the start to a good day. Once it had concluded, she slipped on her sneakers and backpack. She made a dash to the garage where her old bicycle was.

The breeze felt wonderful as she pedaled through the streets of the town she had always lived in. This summer would be the last time that she could truly enjoy it. College would be starting up in the fall, and then she would be consumed by the responsibilities of adulthood. But, for now, she was living in the present. She had to treasure the last few months of her childhood. Then she could began the new chapter of her life.

The chapter where I won't be an outcast, she thought as she arrived at the coffee shop she frequented.

She got off of her bike, readjusted her backpack, and entered the shop. She purchased her usual order – a hot cup of chamomile tea and the freshest of the baked goods that they sold. She searched for a table to sit down at, the weight of her backpack being a reminder of the book that she was about to enjoy.

Her eyes landed on one of the already occupied tables. She felt heat rush to her face when she saw who it was. She hadn't seen glimpses of him around town since his graduation the year before, but it seemed that her crush was just as strong as it had been during their shared time at the local high school.

She could completely avoid his table, but doing so would mean she would be missing an opportunity to talk to him. For all that she knew, this could be the last chance she would ever get to see him again. Besides, I promised myself to get out there more. If she was planning on turning over a new leaf, conversations with other people was something she would have to get used to.

She took a deep breath and walked over to him. “Hi, Kaito,” she shyly said, hoping that her face wasn't too red. She gestured at the empty seat across from him with her free hand. “Is anyone, um, sitting there?”

He shook his head. “Looks like you are.”

She hurriedly placed her plate and drink down on the table, her face red. She quickly slid into the seat. Rather than meeting his eyes, she kept her gaze focused on her meal. She feared looking up would mean revealing how awkward she was – though she suspected he already knew.

She took a nervous bite out of her muffin. She looked up ever so slightly to see what he had gotten. While he had a cup of black coffee, they both had gotten the triple chocolate muffin. Both of his purchases were almost completely gone. Then her attention shifted back to her own meal, which she quickly ate in an attempt to avoid too much conversation.

Once she finished it, she looked up again. His meal was gone as well, and he was watching with what appeared to be an amused and confused look to his beautiful dark eyes. “What are you doing after this?” she asked. That was a good thing to talk about, right?

“I'm going down to the docks to fish,” he said, speaking with far more confidence than she could ever hope to have. He pushed his empty plate and cup to the side. “Wanna join me?”

Oh no.

She hadn't prepared been prepared for him to say something like that! She didn't even know what she would do if she went fishing went him. Instead, she looked at her nonexistent watch on her wrist and quickly informed him, “Uh, I'm sorry! I really have to go now!”

Then she rushed out of the coffee shop as fast as she possibly could.

Her face was bright red by the time she reached her bicycle. She was prepared to get on it and return to the safety of her house, but then she noticed the girl watching her from only a couple feet away. Alice paused in what she was doing. The young girl looked extremely pale and fragile. She worried that if she touched the girl, she would break from even the gentlest of pokes. The sight of the old clothing she was wearing only reaffirmed her theory that the girl was a ghost.

Alice looked back at her bike. This was the beginning of a new start. She couldn't go running after every ghost that she saw in the hopes that it would suddenly all make sense. That was the life she had struggled through the past eighteen years. She would no longer be doing that.

“Kaito sure is cute,” the ghost spoke up as she started to get onto the bike. Alice was once again paused; she wasn't used to be directly addressed by ghosts. It might have just been a lucky guess on the ghost's part, but she couldn't shake the feeling that the girl somehow knew of her ability.

She glanced around. It didn't seem like anyone was nearby.

Getting off the bike, she walked over to the girl. “You know Kaito?” she questioned. Why would this ghost, who must have died a long time ago, know Kaito? And why Kaito in particular?

“Not personally,” the girl replied with a grin. “But I will after I finish with you, Alice Ashworth.” That phrase had the potential to sound extremely ominous, but the tone was very pleasant. “So, as we both know from this conversation that we're having, you can see ghosts.”

Alice nodded.

“My name is Delilah Miller, and I lead a group called Stargazers,” the ghost proceeded to explain. Then she gave Alice a warm smile that was bordering on a smirk. “You can call me Lily. My organization deals with ghostly affairs. If you're interested, I suggest googling us. If everything still interests you, you can shoot us an email and we'll go from there.”

Before Alice could think of anything else to say, the ghost was already heading away from her and towards the coffee shop. She gave a wave over her shoulder as the distance grew, and the last words of hers that rang out as Alice began to get on her bike were, “See you later, Alice!”

When she got home, the first thing Alice did was google the organization.

Kaito did not expect for Alice to run away from him in response to his invitation. In a way, it was kind of cute how flustered she was, and he let out a little laugh to ease the awkwardness, but it still came as a surprise. He looked around the shop as if expecting an explanation from the people around him, but naturally, no one had paid much attention. Most people's eyes were drawn to the screens of their laptops or their as they enjoyed the free wifi. That, or they were eating.

"Better luck next time, I guess." Kaito finally shrugged to himself, shaking his head.

He picked up his trash and threw it away as he headed toward the doorway, curiously peeking his head out the door to see if Alice was still around, or if she'd fled from the scene entirely. He was surprised once again, to see her still there - but not just by herself. She was... talking... to a ghost.

He felt like his heart stopped for a moment, and he froze in place, behind the door, looking out. Seeing ghosts of course, was nothing but familiar to him. But seeing someone else interacting with, and also seeing ghosts was completely foreign to him.

He waited until Alice biked away before he even moved at all, and wouldn't have moved even still, that is, until someone came up behind him.

"Um... excuse me?" The customer said, tapping Kaito on the shoulder in irritation.

"Oh!" Kaito said with a start, almost jumping out of his shoes. "Oh! Haha! Sorry about that, uh, you know, spacing out. Coffee hasn't kicked in yet, eh?" He apologized quickly, scuttling out of their way as they walked by, only giving him a weirded out look as they left the store. Kaito sighed, and followed out behind them. He stood outside, watching Alice grow smaller as she biked away. He had almost forgotten about the ghost until he heard his name.

"Kaito Yasushi?"

He twisted around, still jumpy. "Huh-hm?" Was all he managed to get out. It was a quiet and timid response, as he was still aware of the annoyed customer pulling out of the parking lot in their car.

Lily seemed amused. "You look like you've seen a ghost." She smirked.

Kaito laughed, his smile practically involuntary. Though it did help relax him. "Haha." He bet she used that line a lot.

"And I'm right to assume you can see ghosts regularly?" She asked.

Kaito nodded, giving another wordless reply. He was not used to having conversations with ghosts... it was something he actively avoided, usually. But this was an odd circumstance. Could Alice see ghosts too? No, she had to be able to. There was nothing else to explain it. But why would this ghost be talking to him, now? And how did she know who he was?

"I'm here to introduce you to a group called the Stargazers. I'm Delilah Miller, but you can call me Lily. My organization deals with ghosts and their affairs. You can search us on the internet and find our contact information, and email us if you're interested. If you are, we'd love to hear more from you, and let you know more."

Kaito stuttered, not really knowing how to respond. He scratched the back of his head in thought, letting his gaze fall to the ground. "How did you know about me?" He asked, feeling oddly like he had a target on his back.

"We've done a lot of research on you, hearing rumors of you, and others, seeing things that others don't. We do for anyone we try to recruit for the Stargazers. It's a thorough process." She explained, which visibly put Kaito at ease. For a second, he thought that like, somehow ghosts could read minds. He nodded again.

"Ok... ok."

Lily gave him a small wave. "Well, you think about it. Let us know!" And with that, she began to walk away, leaving a very confused and frazzled Kaito to figure out what the heck he wanted to do with his life.

He turned around, and walked slowly to his truck. As he slid into his seat he slouched down, lazily putting his hands up on the wheel.

"A ghost... agency... thing?" He asked himself audibly, still amazed that there were even other people and ghosts who like, normally knew how to communicate with each other. Did this mean he wasn't as weird as he thought he was? Maybe this would be an opportunity to actually meet other people like him, so he wouldn't be so alone in this. He rubbed his thumbs against the steering wheel in thought, before starting the car and heading down to the docks.

I'll email them. He decided. Maybe me seeing ghosts isn't such a bad thing.

This summer is going to be the perfect prequel to a perfect existence in college. A smile spread across Victoria’s face as the thought crossed her mind. It’s still hard to believe I’m going to college!

She would finally be out from under the watchful eyes of her loving but stifling parents. It was absolutely wonderful that they had allowed her to take a summer road trip alone, but what made it even better were two of their congratulatory college gifts: a new credit card and a shiny blue Maserati GranTurismo, also spanking brand new. Victoria was convinced she would use them well.

Landscapes flashed by as she drove, sometimes daringly fast but mostly leisurely. She relished the freedom and liberation of the open road. But the further she went, the closer she was to the main reason why she had decided to take this trip in the first place.

Once on her journey, she tried to ignore the mangled victim of a car accident reliving his death as her car collided with him, sending him toppling to the side of a country road. Both the vehicle and he were unharmed. In fact, he stood up and chased after her, waving his fist and yelling indistinct words which she could only guess were obscenities. Victoria stepped on the gas pedal and raced away, her heart pounding madly. She didn’t slow down until the angry ghost was far behind her.

Ghost. That one word was the bane of her existence. But now, Victoria was hoping, she had found a cure for her secret condition. Perhaps Stargazers, an organization she found online which claimed it interacted with the dead spirits, could help her to not see ghosts ever again. She had already emailed them for more info.

Her eyes found a slightly old-looking road sign, which read, “Welcome to Whitmore.”

“Looks like we’re in the right place, Cap,” she said optimistically, giving her car, which she had named Captain (America), a pat on the dashboard. “One step closer to a less painful life.”

Or, at least, she hoped.

After checking into her hotel—only the best one, of course—Victoria decided she would explore the town a little. Surely ghosts couldn’t be everywhere, even near Stargazers headquarters.

She stopped in front of a little bookshop. She was itching to whip out her credit card and put her parents’ money to good use. Maybe I can find a fashion book. I’ll even settle for a magazine. Victoria carefully checked over her appearance and smoothed the skirt of her dress before walking in. She would be impeccable as always, from the top of her head to the bottoms of her four-inch wedge sandals.

How adorable, she thought as a bell jingled when she pulled the door open. She immediately searched for any books related to fashion or lifestyle, and was gratified to come across a sizable collection. Eventually, she decided on The Little Book of Skin Care by Charlotte Cho. It looked to be quite interesting.

Victoria considered returning to her hotel room upon her purchase, but ultimately started to drive about Whitmore aimlessly. She parked near a lake, seeing a park bench under a shady tree nearby. Might be a nice place to read for a while.

She lost herself in the magical world of Korean skin care, her mind absorbing every word, but she was ripped out of her fantasy when somewhere in the middle of the book—

“What?” Victoria nearly shouted. The passersby and two girls practicing tennis serves glanced at her, so she pretended that nothing was the matter, reddening a little. But the crisis! How was she supposed to know that that orange acne facial soap she had used every now and then in hopes of combating pimples actually harmed the skin?

“I’ll never use that acne wash again,” she muttered to herself.

“Excuse me, but are you Victoria?”

Victoria glanced up to see one of the tennis girls, a redhead with a bob, approaching her while the other unlocked a bike from a nearby rack and rode away. She snapped The Little Book shut.

“You’re Victoria Everly, aren’t you?” the stranger said and joined her on the bench, placing her gear in front of her feet. The girl couldn’t be much younger than Victoria herself.

She raised an eyebrow. “Yes, I’m Victoria, and you are . . . ?”

“Annika Robinson,” replied the girl with a smile. “But I go by Ann.”

“And how do you know me?” asked Victoria, studying her. They seemed to be quite similar; Victoria could tell this girl liked making a statement with her clothing by the bold pink stripe across Ann’s skirt.

“You contacted Stargazers. I’m part of the organization.”

Victoria nodded. “Ah. So you can . . .” She made a small gesture with her hands. She wasn’t quite sure if she wanted to say it out loud. It would make it seem more real.

Ann laughed. “If you mean seeing ghosts, then yes, I can. But I heard that you’re interested in joining. They wanted me to talk to you about it.”

“They?”

“Hm? Oh, the higher-ups of Stargazers.”

“I see.” Victoria pushed her hair behind her shoulder. “Yeah, I was hoping to get some help about my condition. It’s sort of becoming a problem for me.”

Ann smiled and exuded confidence. “You should definitely join. Stargazers was made to help people just like you and me.”

“So I should go to headquarters for more information?”

“Yup.” Ann looked quite pleased now. “Why don’t you come at nine in the morning? I’ll meet you there.”

Victoria smiled. “Sounds good. See you then.” She stood and got back into her car, waving at the girl, who she hoped was a new friend. She couldn’t help but giggle a little when she saw Ann’s wide eyes staring at Cap.

At last, Victoria could be free of her chains. Free of ghosts. She couldn’t wait for tomorrow to come.

12 a.m. Somewhere in Asia.20 years ago.

At a time when all the creaturea of subcontinent, even the vandals who destroyed the monuments and the reckless men who kidnapped young girls, were asleep and in a state of rest, a white figure moved across the narrow brick lanes. With footsteps as silent as a light breeze and hair as long as the rope you use to hang murderers and assasins, she quietly moved on. Noon and morning were the time when the Sun shone brightly through the gaps between the flat-roofed buildings and the bazaars were teeming with life and the various merchants and traders who came on foot or on donkeys from the nearby villages and mountains would gossip and bargain at the top of their voices. But as dusk would fall, the population on the streets would thin out as people would go inside their houses and inns, mainly from the fear of robbers and bandits. And, it was in the silence and peace of the night that ghosts like Aisha Dajah liked to wonder, traveling wherever they could in that short span of time in search of lost love, lost enemies and lost ambitions.Now, as she passed through that narrow brick lane, she passed by a drunkard who had fallen into a ditch. Probably a traveling merchant who got a bit too ecstatic and jovial. He saw her through his half-closed eyes and boy, you should have seen his horror-struck expression. Probably one of those rare creatures whom she encountered every now and then. A bloodless milky-white smile appeared on her bloodless milky-white face, and that man fainted. Chuckling to herself, Aisha moved on.

Aisha's Point Of View:

Another futile search. Another wasted night. How long will I have to travel in search of the hands which contain the smell of the blood of darling Som and my beloved parents? Tonight was the similar to the other useless ones and the only new thing was that I encountered some drunk bum and a nice laugh in scaring the hell out of him. Now its dawn and I have no option but to sit in this smelly corner of this whale of a barn. I wonder why it was abandoned. My hopes and aspirations are on the verge of being extinguished, even though I'm fully aware that unless I fulfil that single goal of mine, I won't be freed from this earthly bond. Just some time ago, a strange thought struck me: In all these decades, I haven't even stepped out of this country, let alone search the world. Maybe its time for me to do that. But then, I'm nervous. I feel like a bird sitting on a branch, being afraid to fly. At one time or the other, this piece of wood will surely have to break. I have to search the length and breadth of the cosmos if I want to find those bloody murderers who live on the souls of poor, innocent people. And yet...

2:30 a.m. A desolate street in the suburbs. 10 years ago.

Aisha's POV:

I've been traveling the world for the last decade or so but I can't seem to be able to find those crooks. Perhaps, I'm blinded by my own anger and frustration each time. No matter what, I can't seem to get over it. The one positive thing which has come out of my extensive travel is that I've learnt various languages and have become accustomed to various cultures and people. But, bizarre as it may sound, I've not met a single ghost all these years. Not. A. Single. Ghost. I'll have to resume my revenge-seeking journey again.

Few days later. Aisha's POV:

You won't believe what happened today. I finally made the acquaintance of a ghost. To be true, our conversation got off to a rough start, as most conversations do. Or, at least they do in my case. I was thinking of spending the day between a few garbage bins in this shadowy alley, when I saw her. Goofy face. Comical smile. Lily. I was glad to meet a fellow supernatural being after all those years, but then she looked like a tiny ant which I could strangle easily. She was the one who started the conversation.

Lily: Delilah Miller. Nice to meet you.
I ignored her, staring at my legs instead.
Lily: You can call me Lily.
I still ignored her.
Lily: I pity you. Your deafness has continued even in your afterlife.
Now, I had to laugh. After all, who wouldn't? And thus, begaln our friendship and my entry into Stargazers, the group Lily had founded.

Bodhi checked his phone; no new messages.

It was midday. He sprawled on the bed mattress, his lower body tangled in blankets, one arm hanging over the side edge. The window blinds were slanted downward, yet sunlight persistently violated the cave-like room in horizontal slithers.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d ventured outside this room. A cup of two-minute noodles rested on the bedside table, next to empty soda cans and a chocolate wrapper. Crisps and other non-perishable food packets littered the carpet. A cardboard pizza box. A phone charger. A fallen-down poster. A pair of sneakers.

The predominant darkness held Bodhi from around and within his mind. His copper hair, usually spiked, collapsed around his forehead at awkward angles. His metal finger rings scattered the messy floor like Jacks pieces, creating a constellation that was entirely their own.

Bodhi raised his smartphone above his sharp-edged features once more, letting the bright screen glare into his eyes. No new messages.

A knock came from the other side of the room door, followed by a muffled voice. “Bodhi? It’s me. I’m coming in.”

Annika entered the gloomy interior, her short and pudgy figure framed by a halo of light from outside the door. Bodhi squinted and let out a groan, his arm shielding his face.

Ann beamed a smile at him. “Rise and shine, Ghostbuster! You’ve been holed up here for a week.” She sidestepped the junk on the carpet in buoyant bounces.

Bodhi didn’t move. “Did Lily ask you to come fetch me?” His voice sounded hoarse from lack of use. Who was he kidding, of course Lily had done so; Ann was like her secret weapon of positivity, or something.

“I don’t know why you would rather stay brooding in here,” she said, dismissing his question, “but you’re setting a bad example for the younger recruits. While you're all depressed, we’ve been contacting a bunch of other potential Stargazers members.”

“I’m not depressed,” Bodhi defended, “just… vacant.”

The pouty, bob-haired teenager gave him a look.

Not a second later, a dashing ball of pale grey fur skidded into the room and leapt onto the end of Bodhi’s bed before he could identify the creature. “What the—”

It was Spook, the stray cat Lily had found one godforsaken afternoon and decided to keep. The darn cat wouldn’t stop exploring every inch of the Stargazers building.

“Aaaw! See, even Spook wants you to come out,” Ann interpreted.

Or he also wanted to stay in the dark bedroom and be left alone. The cat began to groom itself.

Bodhi sighed, preparing himself for the onslaught of worldly sensations and activities. A thought occurred to him: “Aren’t you seven years younger than me? Why are you coaxing me out like my own mother?”

She blushed. “I’ve been in this organisation longer than you.”

"Touché." Bodhi heaved his lean chest upright by his arms, about to get up fully, but soon rediscovered that he wasn’t wearing pants. “Yo, Ann, could ya pass those trousers next to your feet?” He pointed to the scrunched pile of black, pinstriped material.

The trousers flew through the air towards the bed. “Now I really am your mother,” she scoffed, tilting her head away in disgust.

“Thank you muchly.” He slid the pants on underneath the blankets.

Ann left to let him get ready, threatening to barge back in if he didn’t join her out in the Stargazers' foyer within ten minutes. Collecting all of his dispersed rings on the carpet was a nightmare.

After adjusting his suit tie and fixing his hair, he reached for the phone on his bed, activating its screen; no new messages.

“I wonder if they ever think about me still,” Bodhi shared with Spook, who stared up at him blankly with slitted pupils. His index finger unlocked the touch screen, which displayed the message he'd been reading over earlier... his father's last text from exactly one year ago:

Come...

... Home.

To this day, Bodhi had never come home.

Once she left Bodhi’s room, she glanced at her watch. If he wasn’t ready in ten minutes, she’d go badger him again. She merrily trooped over to the Stargazers foyer, down the narrow hallway dotted with pictures of humans and ghosts and lilies, and down an equally narrow staircase snaking its way down.

Lily Miller, looking like a small thirteen-year-old, stood waiting for her. “Ah, there you are, my tennis ball,” she said with a grin.

Ann laughed. “I’ve chatted to Victoria about it and then Bodhi should come soon.”

“Hm? So what does she say about this?” asked Lily.

“She’s great with it! She seems nice. And”—she widened her eyes—“she’s quite young but she has her own new car. Plus it’s blue! My parents haven’t bought such a car for themselves.”

An amused expression settled in Lily’s face. “That’s good.”

Ann grinned to herself.

“Would you mind going to ask Davina over after work? I’d like to assemble all the members here because we might have a batch of new recruits,” Lily said.

Bodhi walked down the steps, his mobile peeking out of his pocket. After some initial greetings, Lily repeated what she had just said to Ann. "Will you come along?"

He nodded his consent, and waving good-bye, walked at a more sensible pace as Ann scampered outside. For the first few minutes of their walk, nobody said anything. Ann hurried a few meters ahead of him, wishing that Bodhi would speed up.

But that was quite unreasonable of her to nag him to hurry when the landscape around them was lovely. Green hills rolled in the distance, with buildings jutting out like boulders. The summer air was still clean and crisp, far from the humidity it sank into during midsummer. Wildflowers as colorful as the polo shirt she wore snuggled into hollows under shaggy trees.

“We have about a mile and a half to walk,” Ann said. “But I don’t care to ride a bus. It’s stupidly hot without an air conditioner.”

Bodhi shrugged. “View’s nice, anyway.”

“Definitely.” Ann bent over to pluck a few petals from a patch of vincas. “By the way, I think Lily will pair some of us if the noobs accept.”

“Are you going to be paired?”

“I dunno, honestly. Depends on the number of recruits. Maybe if I find somebody that fits me.” She grinned at him. “Maybe you.”

“Yeah, perhaps,” he said. “How about Davina?”

“Or maybe we’ll just pop them in without any mentors.” Just like her. When she joined at six, she’d made a crazy lot of mistakes, formed a moony, apologetic expression each time, and stumble up again.

“Possibly. There haven’t been much missions lately,” Bodhi remarked as they rounded a corner. “But it’s gonna come. They always do after a dry spell.”

“Definitely,” she echoed.

On they talked of life and the weather and ghosts and walked away the mile and the half. Soon enough, the bookstore where Davina worked loomed ahead of them, small but splendidly built in red brick.

Ann waved a hand at it and picked up her pace. “We’re there!”

No change in pace. “I see it."

Ann dashed the last few steps up to the door. “Hurry up!” Eager as always to meet any Stargazer friend, she raced through the door, auburn bob flying back in a way that was recognizable to the staff there.

“Davina!”

A burgundy-headed girl popped out from behind a bookshelf. “Ann! How are you?”

Ann hid a grin. “You know my answer.”

“Oh, hey, Bodhi!”

“Hi,” Bodhi said.

Ann, unable to keep her hands still, ran her fingers over the spines of the books. “Lily wants you to come to the Stargazers foyer this evening.”

Davina adjusted her hoodie in an elegant manner Ann could have never achieved. “I’ll be there around six.”

“This time’s gathering will be interesting.” Bodhi looked up from his phone. “We might have some new Stargazers.”

"That's good! Seems as though ghost-watching ability isn't as extraordinary as others might think." Davina walked over to a cart full of books and shelved some of them efficiently, turning to grin at Ann and Bodhi. “Tell Lily that I want to congratulate everybody who could interest them. Sorry, but can’t talk too much now. See you at six!”

“See you!” Ann tossed the words behind her. She bounced over the mottled carpet leading to the entrance of the bookstore, flung open the door, and shut it right in front of Bodhi's face.

“Bye!” Bodhi joined her, shooting Ann a very significant look.

She blushed, thinking how rude she must have looked. "Sorry! Didn't mean it!"

He smirked a little, but let it rest. As they trod the pavement back toward the Stargazers headquarters, Ann stretched her arms to the sky, smiling, burying herself in the sunshine. Nothing could beat meeting Stargazers pals on such a lovely day--even if she accidentally slammed a door in front of Bodhi in front of everybody.

The ghost of a stripey ginger cat mewed with the urgency of a hungry baby.

Davina continued to focus on the books she was shelving.

The cat meowed louder, and she whispered ''In a moment, Jules,'' without turning.

Jules jumped up, sat on the book pile, and rolled onto his back. He stared up at her.
Davina looked down at him with a look of annoyance, but as a cat, his charm was irresistible, and his will inevitable. She rubbed his belly.

Or at least, she pretended to. Her hand went through him and neither of them really felt it, but Davina thought he remembered what it felt like. Or he didn't, and he'd just been playing her all her life. She'd never know.

Davina gave him a meaningful look, waiting for him to get off the book pile.
He didn't, so she put her hand through him and picked up the next book.
He mewed his offense, and scampered off.



Pat appeared in a nearby armchair. He was the ghost of an old man, complete with a flat cap and knitted jumper. He was the previous owner of the bookshop, who haunted it every now and again to criticize the arrangement of the shelves, and forget he no longer owned them.

''Why are some of the photography magazines with the art books, and not with the other vintage magazines where they belong? that's ridiculous.'' he shook his head.

''Some of those are quite...adult. Carl thought we should move them further back so mothers don't complain about their kids' grabby fingers ending up in them.'' said Davina.


''Since when are kids are more interested in the vintage magazine section than the art book section?'' Pat shook his head again. ''We don't get many young kids in here to begin with. And the art books should be closer to the front besides.''

Jules returned to jump onto the old man's lap, and got a pat on the head for his trouble.

Davina smiled. ''I'll move them for you, when it's up to me where they go.
There's a Stargazers' meeting tonight. I've got some newcomers to welcome.''

''That'll be exciting for you. You can show them around.'' said Pat.

Davina made a flippant gesture.''I''m not that senior of a member yet, I've only been on a few minor cases so far. But I'm not telling the new kids that.'' she grinned.


''You helped several people to stop fearing ghosts. I'd hardly call that minor.'' Pat said proudly.


Davina looked back at him with a similar feeling of pride, then looked down.
The new ones...would they be afraid, too? As she once was?
That thought made her feel a familiar hollow feeling, as if she had gone back a couple of years, to the time when she was first seeing human ghosts everywhere, wondering why they had come, and if they wanted something from her.
She felt anxious now, as she often did, that the next person she had to help might have questions she couldn't answer.
She looked back up at Pat.

''I know it'll be fine once I get there.'' she said confidently.

''Of course.'' Pat said, before he vanished into the air, to return to his search.

Jules fell onto the chair, and mewed.



After her shift ended, Davina picked up some cookies for the meeting from the nearest supermarket on the way home. She retouched her makeup and by six she was at the doorstep with Jules by her side, ready to demand affection from all who came near.

''Don't take up all the attention.'' she said to him sternly. ''We want them to remember at least some of the orientation.''

He looked up at her, as if to say ''I am a cat.''

''You're impossible.'' Davina said back.

Then she opened the door.

Three of her favorite things were currently happening.

The first of these was the email that she had received on an hour before from a couple looking for their assistance. She had eagerly replied – after all, it was the first case that they had been given in awhile.

The second was that the meeting of the Stargazers was about to begin. She loved chatting with people who could see her, and was thrilled at the possibility of having more people join their ranks. It seemed as if all of them had arrived at the building as she had told them to through email.

The last of these things was that Spook had decided to show up, suddenly rubbing against her leg with a very loud meow for attention. Though she had been the one to take Spook in, she barely saw the adventurous feline. She leaned down and scratched behind his ears. He seemed to understand that walking to the front of the group assembled with a cat in her arms wouldn't sent the message she was looking for to the new recruits, so he stopped meowing for attention.

He did, however, follow her up to the front of the room. She gave Aisha a friendly wave when she noticed her sitting among the Stargazers, and the other ghost returned the gesture. Then she cleared her ghostly throat, gave a large grin at her fellow Stargazers and began the meeting.

After spending the hour prior to the meeting debating if she needed to dress formally or casually and ultimately deciding her usual attire would do, she was glad to see that no one was dressed especially nice for the occasion. Though she was relieved of that fear, she still felt anxious as she surveyed the rows of seats in the large room. She checked the time on her phone. It would almost be time for the meeting to begin, and she still had no idea who she was going to sit with. All of them were complete strangers, save for Lily, who was standing off to the side of the room with a rather adorable cat.

Her gaze eventually settled on two empty seats at the end of the row in the front of the room. She didn't want to draw attention to herself, but she had always liked being closest to the speaker when something like this was occurring. Deciding that she would have to sit there, she made her way over to it.

The rest of the row was taken. She gulped when she realized she would have to talk to someone. Then she took a deep breath and tapped the shoulder of the cheerful looking girl next to the empty seats. “Hi,” she nervously began, trying to ignore how fast her heart was racing as she hurried to get out her question. “Is anyone sitting here?”

The girl gave her a smile and shook her head. “No.”

Alice gave a relieved sigh and slid down into the seat.

“You must one of the newer members,” the girl continued on. Alice was surprised to realize that the girl wanted to talk to her; she was used to being ignored. It seemed that Stargazers offered her more opportunities than she had expected. “I'm Annika Robinson, but most people call me Ann.”

“I'm Alice Ashworth,” she replied. “But most people call me Alice.” Then heat rushed to her face as she sat there in embarrassment, realizing how stupid that had sounded. She hoped that Ann didn't think badly of her because of it. But the other girl just laughed at what she perceived to be a joke, and relief flooded Alice.

Ann went on to introduce the rest of the people sitting in their row of seats. At the very end was a ghost named Aisha who Lily had apparently befriended years ago and gotten to join the agency. She looked young but was apparently much older than she appeared to be.

Sitting to Aisha's left was a girl named Victoria Everly, who, like Alice, was also new to the group. And, like Alice, she was also preparing to go to college when summer ended. Victoria seemed rather nice, and Alice decided that she would gather up enough courage later to ask her about which college she was going. Maybe they would be going to the same one?

Next to Victoria was Bodhi Jameson, who was more focused on his smartphone than the conversation. Ann was quick to inform her that Bodhi was afraid of being touched, so she should avoid doing that. Alice made sure to take note of that – she'd hate to upset him.

The last person that Alice didn't know was named Davina Macey, and there was a cat laying next to her feet. The cat was apparently a ghost, and Alice wondered how she could get past not being able to pet him.

It seemed like Stargazers was the type of place that she had always dreamed of. No one here would judge her for being able to see ghosts, and it seemed like there was at least several people around her age. There was so many opportunities for her to make new friends! That thought brought a smile to face. She already loved Stargazers and she hadn't even been on a job yet.

She noticed Lily start to move towards the front of the room. She turned her attention away from her possible new friend, Ann, and focused on the ghost instead. Well, that was what she was planning on doing – someone came rushing into the room and abruptly sat down next to her before Lily could start the meeting.

She looked to her left and was surprised by the face she saw staring back at her.

“Kaito?” she whispered in disbelief.

“Alice?” he replied, equally shocked by the chances that they would end up sitting next to each other.

He could see ghosts too? Lily had mentioned him earlier, but she hadn't guessed that he was just like her. Realizing that he was made her heart flutter in excitement. If there even was a chance that they would end up in a relationship someday, she wouldn't have to explain to him about being able to see ghosts.

Better yet, she realized, giddy with excitement, both of us being here means that I'll get to see him more!

It also meant that she would have to get over her fear of talking to him, but she was trying not to think of that.

Kaito, though formerly quite unsure about his meeting with the ghost agency, found himself smiling widely with relief at seeing a familiar face. He was afraid that the whole place was going to be filled with crazy people, or worse, a bunch of ghosts.

"Alice!" He repeated again, though this time not as a question. "Man, am I glad you're here too."

Alice could feel her face get hot, and smiled, but looked away. "O-oh. Well I'm glad you're here too," she replied, trying her best not to sound as timid as she felt.

Kaito only grinned, and let out a small laugh. She was adorable, but he didn't know how to help her feel less flustered around him. He looked down the row of chairs at the others there with curious eyes.

"So everyone here can see ghosts?" He asks, mostly to Alice, but to no one in particular.

Ann piped up, happy to see his eagerness and interest. "Yep! That's right!" She replied with a cheery smile.

Kaito nodded, the awe-filled smile transitioning into a confident smirk on his face. He felt a rush of relief wash over him like he'd never known before. If there were even a few other people like him... then maybe he wasn't as crazy as he thought! He got up from his seat, and eagerly began to greet everyone with a confident and cool smile, hoping to make a good impression. Or, at the very least, a better impression than the one he made on Lily, which was probably that he was an unsure and jumpy adolescent with no idea what he was doing. And he was. He was that. But he didn't need everyone else to think that about him.

He walked over to Ann, who stood up from her seat to greet him. "Hey! I'm Kaito." He shook her hand.

"Ann." She replied with a smile.

Kaito looked down the row of people and waved at them, realizing that if he went to shake everyone's hand and went back he'd probably hold off the starting of the meeting. He did, after all, run in at the last minute. So instead he sent them all a small wave when they looked up at him - though there was a guy who was just on his phone and not paying attention. He seemed... kind of rude. Or just trying too hard to be edgy. "Pleased to meet everyone," he announced to the rest with a theatrical little bow with his arm extended, before backing up into his seat and sitting down.

From the looks of it, there was another ghost, another girl who looked around his and Alice's age, the brooding fellow, and a girl with a ghost cat - not to be confused with Lily and the cat following her around. If anything, it was an odd collection of people, but he didn't expect any less from an agency that dealt with ~ghosts~.

Aisha Dajah

"What the hell?" That was my first thought as I stepped into the large meeting room, whose seats were all empty except for one in the front occupied by Lily. "Hi!" her cheerful voice came floating across the room to the threshold, where I was standing. With a slight nod, I plonked myself down on a nearby seat. Needless to say, I was in a very lousy mood that day. First of all, being a member of the previous century, I had no idea whatsoever of modern-age technology and it took me a whole hour to open the e-mail itself, which contained the invitation to the Stargazers meet. Not that I hate this organization or whatever, it was just one of those days when I'm pissed off for no reason. Besides, I have a strong belief that we apparitions are a sacred and supernatural community and should try to maintain our mystic aura. But then, Lily was my good (and only) friend and I kind of enjoyed it here with the young blood of the Stargazers members.

Anyways, on this particular meeting, just as I was getting all grumpy and frustrated and starting to drive Lily up the wall (she said that to me after the meeting, when my mood was somewhat calmer), the first tiny little human walked in. A mouse of a young woman, Ann, whose name I came to know as the meeting proceeded. It wasn't what you'd call a smooth first meeting. Her auburn bob swished violently as her heels took long quick steps up to the first row where Lily and I were sitting. "Hello," she giggled, "I'm Annika, here at the meeting as promised. I'm super-excited to be here!" Lily smiled politely and showed her a seat, while lines appeared on my forehead and a frown adorned my face. Immediately after that, Lily went out, saying that she just remembered something. I had never seen her so busy or stressed before, but this was to be the first Stargazers meeting in ages and I guess being its head, some amount of work and anxiety was natural for her. As Lily made her way towards the door, she whispered in my ear, "Aisha, everyone's very nice here. Try to be good, at least for me, ok?" I couldn't help but nod and even managed to wiggle out a tiny smile out of my face. After all, Lily was one of the best friends I ever had and Stargazers the best organization I was associated with.

As much as I wished to slap out the extra optimism out of the little dainty Ann, I could not, at least for now. "So, how old are you? Where do you study? In middle school? God, you seem to be one talented kid, with all that ghost-seeing ability and seriousness." I replied as shortly and with a voice as ghostly as I could, "Miss Whatever, I'm Aisha, and I'm a 110 year old ghost." Her voice became less cherry and she replied with a nervous chuckle, "A-Ann, call me Ann. Meeting you was a, er, a...pleasure." With an inside smile, I relaxed back. In all my years on earth, if there's one thing I've learnt, its that without power and dominance, the world counts for nothing. I didn't know however, that this naive view of mine was to be changed soon, and that too by a young puny human, Davina Macey.

As she came down with confident, beautiful steps to the front row with pink cheeks and mascara-filled eyes, I could make out at once that she was one of those vain egocentric young ladies who spent a lot of articifial luxurious on themselves to look beautiful and "natural". After exchanging brief greetings with Ann, she extended her hand towards me. The handshake was short and shining with over-confidence. She introduced herself, but I did not reply. I did not want to. Ann asked her to come to the side and whispered something to her, probably something involving an old miserable pessimistic rude ghost. I assumed that Davina would either sob bucketful of tears or growl at me, like most people of her type do.

Instead, to my utter bewilderment, she came up to me and with cold eyes and dry mouth started speaking, "I am Davina Macey. I work part-time in a book shop. That's where I met one of the first ghosts I'd ever seen, the master of the shop guarding the place, and it is with much pride that I would like to mention that I was the one who helped him share his worries." She paused for breath. I went deep into thought. Most ghosts, no, most supernatural creatures, prefer remaining in solitude or hiding, as they are extrememly cautious of possible dangers after facing various situations in the past. It is extremely hard to be able to see a ghost, harder still to be able to help one. And here, in front of me, was someone who had done both the perilous tasks. A young, seemingly stuck-up girl. Speaking of her, she continued, "Yes, I know what you must be thinking. Most do. But believe me, that was my past life and past behaviour. I am haunted by the past, not influenced by it. I know I don't appear too good, but what I just said is the ultimate truth. I don't know if I hurt you. Sorry." On hearing this words, I was greatly moved. After all, who else in my position wouldn't be? I found we had a lot in common, both of us were afraid of the past and trying to mould ourselves into better souls. Soon, we were exchanging the stories of our respective lives, our hopes, our fears. And, by the time the meeting ended, I had the assurance that a bond of friendship developed for life. I found that she was not conceited or stuck-up, I was. I was the ultimate example of a ghost stereotype which has blinded my eyes to the present time and the brighter things in life. Davina was not spoiled, Ann was not impractical. I was boastful and pessimistic, boastful of being a part of the mystic ghost community and pessimistic about my past influencing my present. These ladies were of young blood, but much more mature than this old bad ghost. I resolved at the end of the meeting to try and learn something worthwhile from them.

Just as with Davina, I grew close to Ann pretty soon. During the first few minutes, we were exchanging small talk through Davina with each other, but pretty soon, our sense of sarcasm and ready wit gave way and we were talking our vocal cords out. Even though I did not tell her, I guess her enthusiastic demeanour somehow reminded me of my life as a quirky young teenager. I saw part of me in her.

Very soon, the other Stargazers arrived as well. There was Alice, who belonged to that small category of young women I approved of. She was kind of quiet, but not vain. As the meeting proceeded, I realized she was the most knowlegdeable person in the room, after Lily. I am sure with that demeanour of hers, she'll have a bright life. Then, there was also Kaito, a fellow Asian. He wore khaki, the colour of soil. I loved that. I found him kind of weird. He'd talk, gossip and say quite a lot of humourous things at one go, then fall silent for a few moments. At first I was baffled, but soon found that as a child, he was suspected of having schreczophrenia as he saw ghosts and all that extra attention made him feel bad. He tried to cover it up through funny remarks and stuff. I also made the acquaintance of Bodhi, a haphephobic young man who'd rather touch the screen of his phone than be touched by others. At first, I thought of his weird behaviour as a mixture of shyness and rudeness, but then I realized that there was more to his character, something mystic and beautiful, and something about which we'd probably never know. There was also Victoria, a sweet confident young lady, but I am sure behind that confidence is a nervous heart. At times, she suddenly went deep into thought and didn't speak at all, and at other times, she was full of words and gesticulations. Whatever her story may be, I hope I can help her while at Stargazers. And, oh, did I mention Spook yet? She's the ghostliest ghost cat ever, dear to all of us at Stargazers and fat from all the things we spoil her with. Needless to say, she was an integral part of the meeting.

Overall, it was quite a nice meeting, even though I acted like a complete jerk initially (I realized that later on and was completely red in the face). I am sure that we will have many such pleasant meets and adventures in the not so distant future. I love it out there. It makes me complete.

Victoria studied the faces around her as Lily spoke. They were all so different.

There was Ann, of course. A girl named Davina seemed to own a ghost cat, which secretly disturbed Victoria. Who kept a dead cat as a pet?? Then there was Alice, who seemed nice yet a little shy, but her sense of fashion was a little . . . strange. Or plain, at the least. Victoria told herself that if they became close friends she would take Alice out to shop for real clothes.

There were the boys, Kaito and Bodhi. Both of them were cute, to be sure, but their choices of clothing . . . Victoria had to hide her grimace. Kaito seemed extremely friendly and dressed all right for the most part, but those flip flops were shudder-worthy. She would try to look past them as she worked with him. But Bodhi . . . he looked like a member of the mafia - in sneakers. Besides, he seemed extremely rude as he ignored the other Stargazers. But perhaps he was just addicted to his phone.

Victoria soon found that a ghost named Lily was the leader of the organization. Another ghost, named Aisha, seemed like a lovely conversationalist, but ghosts in general made Victoria nervous. Not that she let them know that. It still wouldn't do to hurt their feelings.

Well, this would make for an interesting experience as Victoria tried to get rid of her curse. She hoped she was in the right place.



Victoria's heart sank as the meeting went on and Lily explained what the purpose of the Stargazers was. So this wasn't an organization which would help people get rid of their ghost-seeing abilities after all. It was one in which living people would actively seek out disturbed ghosts.

Basically their mission, it seemed, was to be therapists or psychologists - or something like that - so those ghosts would move on. Victoria didn't mind the ghosts moving on part, but she refused to think about what would happen if she were to have to find the ghosts with major problems. Those were the ones more likely to be overly emotional or violent.

So what was she going to do? Think, girl, think. Do you really want to do this?

Victoria glanced around at the other young people sitting beside her. All - except Bodhi - with expressions of eagerness and maybe even readiness for this role. They were just like her, except they seemed to embrace the thing that made them different and abnormal.

To back out now would not make a good impression, and even though she had just met these people, she hated making a bad impression on others.

Yeah, I'll go along with this for now, and maybe I'll figure out a cure for the curse on my own along the way.