Ghost

~Fender~

A middle-aged woman with blond hair opened my room’s door and stood up with her arms akimbo. His beauty face was looked upset, seeing at me who still snoring in my slumber like a lazy dog. Yes, it was my mom and she was going to wake me up since it was already late to go to school.

Her pretty eyes stared at me, “Fender, until when you want to stay on your bed? Wake up now! It’s already late!” she yelled. Seeing me only twisting my body slowly, she suddenly shouted louder, “Fender!”

I was yawning and got up my body but my eyes were still closed. I tried to open them a little bit and yawned again.

“Now get up! I’ve already made your breakfast. Now go get it, then take a shower. I want to take care of your little brother now,” she ordered me. After I nodded, she immediately left from my room.

I actually felt very lazy to wake up and go to school that morning. I was very tired and I wanted to go to lie on bed again and continued my sleep. The night before, my parents were mad at me due to my broken car. Fortunately, Frank helped me to make excuses so that they didn’t ground me. And he wanted to make sure I didn’t lose any control when my parents were scolding me. Seeing they were mad at me like that, I frankly wanted to tell them the truth, what actually happened to me so that they would understand even happy since their most handsome child was still alive after what he was going through. But I knew Frank wouldn’t let me.

Furthermore, I couldn’t sleep well since I had to adapt with my new capabilities as a werewolf. I had to say good bye with my peaceful sleep since I could hear the Thompsons’ crying baby even their house was a few blocks away.

I forced myself to get up and walked out from my room, leaving for the dining room. When I got there, I saw no one, only a plate with scrambled egg and French fries and other empty plates. It seemed that my father had already left since I broke his car so he had to go to his office earlier than he used to be. I didn’t know why I felt not very tasteful after I saw my breakfast, even I was so starving like a wolf.

Then I smelled something behind my cupboard. I faintly smelled a tasty food and I really wanted to eat it immediately. I opened the cupboard and saw several canned meats. My mother usually stocked it for the time when she didn’t have too much time to prepare a meal. I picked one and opened it. My belly was growling when I saw that very tasteful raw meat.

I quickly took the spoon, grabbed a little of it and ate it. Yeah, it tasted very great like I never felt any great food like that before. I continued to eat it and suddenly I saw my six-year-old little brother staring at me with an odd look.

“Why are you eating that, you freak?” he mocked me with his annoying little face that I really wanted to hit right away.

I growled like a dog and I was very mad. I really wanted to tear that little body piece by piece, “No one ever call me a freak!” I spoke.

He then freaked out like a chic and when he wanted to run away and screamed, he bumped to my mother who suddenly came. He cried out loud and said that I was a monster, that my eyes were glowing and gold.

“What happened to Ben, Fender?” my mother asked.

I said I don’t know and tried to be innocent, and then I walked away and left for my room. I realized that I should’ve control myself. I was lucky that it was Ben who saw me when my eyes turned gold. He was a kid after all and no one would believe what he said.

Just control yourself, Fender! It doesn’t matter how much you hate that annoying brat, he’s still your little brother and you can’t tear him apart, I talked to myself.

***

I parked my bike at the parking lot and grabbed my bag which hanged on the handlebar. Even though I was so popular, I wasn’t from a very rich family. My broken car may be old but still a quite nice car. However, it was my father’s and I thought he would never lend me again after what I did to that car. So, I tried hard to think that it didn’t matter to lean on my old bike again for the rest of my high school life.

When I entered my school building, I saw a bunch of vampires staring at me with their scary red eyes. I heard one of them talking to others and I was sure that they knew that I could hear what they were talking. He said that a reign of werewolf might once again appear in Moonlight Hills.

They know about me, I thought. I wondered whether they could detect other supernatural beings or somebody like Frank told them.

But I tried to ignore them. From what I learned from the original book of Moonlight Hills’ history that Frank gave me the previous days, vampires and werewolves were no friends at all, although they really wanted to try to live in harmony. I thought it wouldn’t be easy to me to live as a lone wolf in a town that full of vampires.

The situation was very crowded and it bothered me so much. I could hear every single person who were talking there even if they were whispering. Once, I was really jealous to the vampire’s super hearing ability. But when I got the same ability even though it was not vampire thing, I complained. Sam once told me that it wouldn’t be easy for me if I have such ability. And it seemed that he was right after all.

Suddenly my eyes were staring at the unfamiliar girl who stood alone in the edge of the corridor. She looked at me, smiled, and waved her hand. I figured, I never see that girl before.

When I waved back to her, she seemed so extremely happy as if it was impossible that I waved back to her. I wasn’t a bad person and I would be friendly if somebody was friendly to me.

But someone suddenly appeared from the T-junction and walked straight toward me. He stared at me with his sharp eyes, but then he ignored me when a girl greeted him.

I remembered what Frank already told me before to avoid any contact with Ino Rays as much as possible. So, I then turned back and walked fast, trying to find another way to my class.

After I took another way which was farther and annoying, I finally arrived at my class. I sat in the chair which I usually took and took a deep breath. How much longer that I have to bear this situation, I complained to myself. Somehow, I really missed my life as a normal human.

The bell finally rang and all students immediately got into the class. I saw a boy who walked very rush and let his wallet fell from his bag. I picked it and without any purpose, I saw a photo inside the wallet. It was him with the girl who I saw just a moment ago before Ino screwed up everything.

“Hey, you!” I called him. I forgot his name, just sometimes saw him in some classes. He realized that I called him so he turned back and looked at me. I showed him his wallet and he smiled at me. He approached me fast and grabbed his wallet from my hand, “Thanks, Fender,” he gratefully said.

“Who’s the girl in the photo with you anyway?” I asked suddenly, feeling so curious about the girl I had just seen before.

He winced, maybe a bit astonished about my question, “She was my sister. Why?” he asked me back.

I figured why he used was to refer to her sister. But I still didn’t realize and ignore it. “Just curious. I think I never saw her before, yet I met her before I got to here.”

His face was suddenly turned odd, “Impossible.”

“Why?” I asked him with curiosity.

“Maybe you saw someone else, Fender. She already died three years ago,” he explained.

I gulped after I heard what he said. I was sure that I really saw that girl in the photo. He looked at me as if I was the weirdest person in the world. I didn’t speak anything after that and my expression was empty. He walked away slowly and said thanks, but in the odd way. I didn’t blame him to act like that after seeing me like this.

So, what was that anyway, I tried to figure it out.

Maybe he’s right. Maybe I saw someone else, I tried to think positively.

I got up from my chair and went out the class. Mr. Desmond, my physic teacher, usually came to class 15 minutes after the bell rang. The corridor was already quiet, but for me, it was still crowded since I could hear all the people talking there.

Adaptation, Fender! You have to adapt all you have now. Think everything in a positive way, I talked to myself.

I entered a white door with the male sign on it. I walked slowly to the sink and looked at my face in the mirror. Terrible! I even felt very crowded in that empty rest room.

“Hello, Fender,” I heard a soft girl's voice from behind me.

Suddenly, my body was trembling. I was sure there was no one in the rest room but me. I was all alone. So how could I hear a girl voice in a male toilet when I was alone, I asked to myself. I even didn’t saw anyone through the mirror.

But when I slowly turned my head, I began to scream out loud.

I saw that girl smiling at me and waving her hand again. Without thinking anymore, I ran fast out of the toilet. I was freaked out.

This is crazy! This is crazy! So, I really saw that dead girl. Is she a ghost? What else? She died three years ago, I figured while I was still running. I suddenly stopped when I heard a step approaching in the T-junction I was going to pass through. My heart pounded very fast. I was planning to go the other way, but I didn’t do that, until an unfamiliar girl showed up and shocked when she looked at me.

“Whoa, what happened to you?” she asked.

Another unfamiliar girl, I thought. Suddenly I hold her hand and she yelled at me. She seemed a little bit upset.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

I tried to ease myself so I took a very deep breath. She’s not a ghost. I’m sure of it. I can hold her hand, I talked to myself. Then I looked at her and smiling, feeling like an idiot perhaps. “I’m so sorry…I just…nervous,” I said and she looked at me in confused.

She chuckled. Perhaps she thought my idiocy was very funny, “My name is Norah. I’m looking for the vice headmaster’s room is? Could you please tell me the way, Mr…” she paused.

“Fender! My name is Fender,” I answered her pause, “Yes, of course. You have to go that way,” I pointed, “The vice headmaster’s room is the last one with red door. You can find the sign. Are you newbie?” I asked.

“No, I don’t belong to this school, yet. The vice headmaster is my uncle. He wants to show me this school. I’m new in town,” she explained.

I nodded, showing her that I understand. “Do you want me to take you there?” I offered.

She shook her head, “No, I can go by myself. Thank you anyway, Mr. Fender,” she smiled at me and walked away.

“Don’t mention it,” I replied. I saw her looked at me and smiled. What a beautiful girl, I melted. I was lucky that she wasn’t a ghost. Talking about ghost, it’s better for me to find Frank and ask him what happen to me now, I thought.

I shouted a bit, “Frank, where are you? Meet me now! It’s urgent!” Maybe I would look like an idiot if anybody saw me. I walked a bit, spinning around like I was lost and confused in the forest. Then several minutes later I saw him walked toward me. I sighed, and then I walked toward him too.

“I…I see a ghost,” I whispered.

I saw no expression on Frank’s face. He then sighed, “God, I forget to tell you about that.”

“What? You mean…I really can see a ghost?” I was shocked.

He nodded, “We call it a wandering spirit, the one who still have unfinished business in our world. Why do you look so scared?” he asked, and I thought his question didn’t make any sense at all.

“It’s a ghost anyway! Should I really have any reason to be afraid of ghost?” I replied.

He sighed again, “You’re a werewolf, Fender. And they don’t do harm. There are several kinds of spirits in this world, demons, ghouls, and wandering spirits. Maybe you can be scared to the ghouls and demons, but for wandering spirits, they’re not scary at all,” he always liked to explain everything in detail.

“So, what do I have to do?” I asked.

“Bear with it. We supernatural being can see any wandering spirits. Werewolf, vampires, fairies do, but not every witch except some of powerful ones since they’re the race closer to normal human than any of us. Don’t worry about that. You’re going to be used to it,” he said.

God, I wish I were still a normal human, I sighed.