2 | Let the Haunting Begin

Loi looked at the phantom girl with an air of confusion in his otherwise still expression. "Anyway," he began, "Why exactly are you haunting this place?" The phantom girl quickly fired off a miffed reply.

"Isn't that obvious? This is my house...duh~" her eyes narrowing toward the end of her words.

Loi gestured to her appearance, as if to clue her into something. "Look, you're a ghost... That means that you're already dead. You should follow the light and go rest in peace." She lapsed into an innocent and quizzical face as she met his eyes. "Well...that's just it. I'm not sure if I'm alive or dead... I don't have memories, and I don't remember anything about myself..." she waxed melancholic.

"All I know is that my name is Maya and I live in this place." Loi now had a name, a face, and a reason(?) for the trapped phantasm, but he listened carefully to see if there was anything else to learn. "How about you, inexperienced boy? Why are YOU here?" she addressed him coyly, sensing a rise. Loi's face twisted in disgust at her choice of words. "Don't call me inexperienced guy, because I have a name, you know." he snapped, before finishing more politely.

"I didn't call you a guy...boy" Maya giggled, a sleeved hand over her mouth. Loi began to glower and continued his introduction. "I'm Loi, and starting today, I'm going to live here." Maya giggled and then after mere moments the colour drained from her eyes in a horrific realization. "What?! No way!?!" she protested. Loi sighed and closed his eyes as if fending off a headache. "It's not as if I'd like to live here, but I have no choice. I'm broke." he said.

Maya flitted about the room in response, almost searching for her words. "To think that I'm going to live together with YOU... It's just so embarrassing that I want to die." she said, shyly. Loi was taken aback by how clueless this ghost could be. "But you're a ghost...nevermind." he spoke under his breath, turning away from Maya to gather his mind. Maya put her hands together and made a mischievous smile spread.

"I'm going to haunt you anyway, so eventually you can't possibly bear to live here anymore... Hehehe!" She searched Loi's turned back for a twinge of a response. "Whatever..." he breathed, walking away. Her face fell in concern. What if she couldn't be rid of him? No...no, that wasn't going to happen. That COULDN'T be allowed.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Maya asked, worriedly. "Is this the bedroom?" Loi asked, hand already on the doorknob. "Yes? ...And that's MY bedroom..." she quietly puffed. Loi's face was neutral as he entered the room. "Sorry to intrude..." he said, unconcerned. Maya glared through his back. "Hey!" she exclaimed. Her complaints fell on deaf ears.

"Nice bed~" Loi oozed, saccharine. Royal purple drapes and bedsheets atop a simple queen size bed, the room's plainest visage matched the theme of the otherwise unremarkable home to a stunning degree. Loi yawned in an exaggerated fashion, brushing off Maya's presence as a mere reminder of company. "I'm going to sleep now... I'll transfer my stuff here by tomorrow." he finished.

"Eh?! But...but...but that's my bed!" Maya shouted. "Try to sleep there and I will haunt you~ Even in your dreams!" she groaned, threateningly. Soft sounds of breathing met her in reply - Loi was fast asleep. Maya simply stared at him in disbelief. "Uhm...excuse me?" she started. "I can't believe this, he's sleeping on my bed..." she huffed, now a pout-filled face with a puffed cheek.

"You've made your choice, Loi..." she said, softly, her face growing grim and ghastly. "Let me enter your dreams~ Let's see..." A vast abyss of disjointed images rippled through. A young child covered in marks and bruises, longing for his mother and father by name, crying out. Another name echoed across the expanse - "Yuna" it rang.

A dark monologue etched its heavy words into the dreamscape, shattering the cacophony of cries. 'Why is everyone leaving me behind? I'm so sick of this life...I feel so lost and alone... I want to disappear.' Maya looked down on the sleeping form blankly. "Poor guy..." she whispered. Betwixt frustration and empathy, she let out a hearty sigh.

"Alright, just this time...I'll give you a sweet dream. Good night, Loi~" An aura of unequivocal warmth circulated about the room as she poured her comforting essence into the young man's troubled inner discord. She would see to it that the haunting began on good terms...for now.

***

Maya stared at a box on the ground with "Loi stuff" scrawled hastily upon its front. Her gaze dropped and she floated, puzzled. She had been watching Loi bring boxes into her home for what felt like an eternity, and feared he may actually be staying after all. "Boo! What are you doing?" she attempted to say in a spooky tone.

Loi ignored her, walking past with another box of "stuff" to bring in. She curiously glided over his shoulder. "Boo~ Hey, Loi! Hey hey~" she buzzed. Not satisfied with being ignored, she mounted an attack akin to that of an offended wasp."Hey~ heyy~ heyyy~ heyyy~" she pestered. Loi scowled. "What. are. you. doing?!" he said in a clipped manner.

"Haunting~" came Maya's gleeful reply. "Well, that's very nice and all, but could you STOP. doing. that?" Loi tensed as he spoke. "Nope..." Maya rejected. She whizzed in his way and raised her arms up, droning. "Not until you leave this hoooouse~ OoOoOo..." Loi stared at her. "I'll tell you again, it's useless." Their eyes locked. "By the way, I didn't think of it much before now, but you have a pretty face despite being a ghost."

Maya blushed and became silent. She donned that pouting face again. 'Hmph, he doesn't need to say that to me...I already know that I'm pretty,' she thought, confidently. Anyway~ BACK TO HAUNTING~MUAHAHAHA!

***

Tap, tap tap, tap tap tap... The sounds of keystrokes. Loi was sat in front his computer screen, typing away at whatever was on the display. "Boo~" Maya cooed at him. "Ha, nice try, but no." Loi dismissed her. "What are you doOoOing?" she dripped. "I'm playing a video game. Ugh, gonna grab something to eat." Loi stepped away from the screen and Maya peered at the action.

An MMORPG with complex commands and actions was on the display, it made her head spin. Maya began to whistle to herself. HAUNT~ HAUNT~ LA LA LA~ She seized the mouse and clicked off of the game, then floated the cursor about the screen. "MUAHAHAHA~ I'm sure he'll get pissed off...and then finally he'll leave this house for good~ I'm so good at haunting, teehee~" Maya chimed, happily.

Suddenly, she read something on an icon that she hadn't seen before. What's an 'NSFW?' she wondered. It must be a movie~ She eagerly clicked on the file.

Maya was glued to the images on the monitor like a moth to the flame. NOM NOM NOM, Loi crunched on a sandwich he had prepared in the kitchen. "I think I forgot about something," he contemplated.

Maya was speechless. OH! AH~ AH~ Lurid sounds of the lustful display unfolding in the video came pouring out of the speakers. Crimson streaks burned across Maya's face. Yes! Ahhh! Yes~!!! Her face frozen, the scene continued. OH YES~! HARDER! Maya now resembled a blooming red rose. The intense moaning reached a climax. She hid trembling lips behind her sleeves.Her attempts to hide were futile.

In a flagrant exclamation of rampaging eroticism, the actress let loose an orgasmic crescendo. AHHHHHHHH! What followed could only be described as a deafening earth-shattering scream. "KIIYAAAAAAAAAAH!" Maya yelped, helplessly. She thundered into the kitchen, dragged Loi into the computer room and landed a well-placed fist into the top of his head after he sat.

"Now, EXPLAIN." she said, crossly. Loi sighed heavily. 'I know all girls will misunderstand this...but, I will try and explain it to her... I will put all of my heart and soul into this explanation. And so...I will answer instinctually.' He breathed in and out calmly. Raising a explanatory digit into the air, he told her. "It's a boy thing." Immediately, another steaming lump joined the one Maya left before it.

"I shouldn't just let my guard down because you're an inexperienced guy." Maya stated. "Right now, I'm pretty sure that you are thinking dirty thoughts about me..." she said, visually repulsed. "Haha...don't make me laugh." Loi sniped back. "I have no interest in a flat-chested girl like you..." he curtly shot. Maya snapped. A third lump now. She was incensed.

***

At school the next day. Kenta and Jaja could barely contain their laughter as they pointed toward Loi's swollen head. "Loi, what is that? Diglett?" Their friend sat there brooding. "HAHAHAHAHAHA!" the pair bellowed, tears welling up in their eyes. Loi adopted a snarky pose, resting his fist against his face. "Yeah~ Keep laughing." he spat.

The laughter continued as Kenta brought his hand to his mouth. "We already warned you~" he said, mockingly. "But you didn't listen to us..." Jaja trailed off. "Yeah, right." Loi poked. "Say, do you two know how to get rid of that ghost?" Kenta flashed a debonair grin and spouted "Let me handle it~"