Chapter 2 A Ghost

In fear, I listened to the girl as she spoke, but I couldn't understand a single thing...

I was completely confused.

"Will you help me?" she asked after finishing her explanation, but I just stared at her blankly.

"Ariel!" she called, and I froze.

"Will you help me?" she repeated.

"How do you know my name?" I managed to ask, and she chuckled softly.

"I heard your mom call you when you were all seated at the dining table," she answered with a wide grin.

"But how is that possible? Why didn't I see you? Where did you even come from?" I asked in a rush, and her expression suddenly turned sad.

"What's your name?" I continued, but she shook her head.

"I don't have a name," she replied with a sorrowful look, and I gave her a surprised glance.

"What do you mean by that? I mean, who in this world doesn't have a name?" I asked, and she scoffed.

"Haven't you been listening to me?" she said with a frown.

"To tell you the truth, I was just too scared to listen to whatever you were saying," I confessed, and she sighed.

"I don't remember anything about myself. The only thing I remember is the chain on your neck," she began.

"But how is that possible? Did you lose your memory?" I asked, and she shook her head.

"Then what happened to you? How did you get into this room?" I asked with keen interest.

"I'm dead," she said, and I burst out laughing.

"Oh my gawd! You're so funny! How can you be-" I stopped when I saw her serious face.

I shuddered slightly.

Is she telling the truth? If yes, then that means... am I talking to a ghost?

And as if reading my mind, she blurted out,

"I am a ghost."

My heart nearly stopped.

"Ghost?" I repeated, and she nodded.

"But I'm harmless. I just need your help," she added.

She reached out to touch my hands, but I didn't feel her-just a cold sensation.

"If you're a ghost, that means... you really are dead?" I asked carefully, and she nodded.

"Holy moly!" I clutched my blanket tightly in fear.

"Please help me," she pleaded again, but I just stared at her blankly.

"Ariel, you really need to help me. Without your help, I'll be condemned forever," she cried, and tears rolled down her cheeks.

She looked so innocent and harmless. I mean, she seemed to be just a teenage girl, like me...

I sighed.

"How can I help you? What do you need me to do?" I asked, and she smiled lightly.

"I need to find out everything about myself. I need to know what happened to me," she answered seriously.

"What do you mean by that? What exactly are you trying to say?" I pressed.

"I've been roaming the underworld with no destination," she began, and I gave her a confused look.

"Underworld?" I repeated, and she nodded.

"It's a place where dead people like me await final judgment," she explained.

"Then why did you come back to Earth?" I asked, confused.

"Because there's no record of me in the underworld. This only happens when the family of the deceased is not at peace with the dead," she explained.

"So if I'm not mistaken, you're saying your family isn't at peace with you?" I asked to confirm, and she nodded.

"But why?" I asked.

"I don't know," she replied with a shrug, and I sighed in frustration.

"This is really crazy!"

"Let me start by asking you this-what's your name?" I asked, but she just stared at me blankly.

"What's your family name?" I continued.

"I don't know," she answered in a tiny voice, and I scoffed.

"Did you also lose your memory?" I asked, and she nodded.

"That's the price I have to pay for coming back to Earth," she said, and I huffed.

"Are you kidding me? You mean you don't have any idea who you are?" I half-yelled, and she pouted sadly.

"The chain you're wearing is the only thing I remember," she said while staring into space.

I looked down at the chain, and it blinked when I touched it.

"What a chain," I muttered.

"I guess it was given to me by someone special," she continued.

"Is it D2?" I asked, staring at the initials engraved on it, and she smiled lightly.

"I don't know, but we can start by finding out what the initials mean," she said with a shrug.

"We?" I repeated, and she nodded.

"Or won't you help me?" she asked, and I huffed.

"Please, Ariel. This is the only way I can rest peacefully in the underworld. I have to recover my memory, make peace with my family, and find out what really happened to me-or else I will..." she trailed off and broke down in tears.

I stared at her with pity. I never knew ghosts could cry...

I sighed.

"It's alright. I'll help you," I agreed, and she beamed happily.

"Really?" she asked, and I yawned-I was already feeling sleepy.

"Can you please go back to wherever you came from? I need to get some sleep," I pleaded, and she nodded but didn't make a move.

"Why are you still standing there? Go!" I snapped.

"But I don't have anywhere to go," she said sadly.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked with a frown.

"I just have..." she started to say, but I cut her off.

"Forget it. Just stay wherever you want," I said dryly, and she nodded sheepishly.

I pulled up my blanket and turned to sleep on my side.

This whole thing still feels like a dream-but it isn't. The ghost is right behind me.

But I was still confused about one thing: how the hell did the necklace get into my bedroom?

Is it some kind of coincidence?

I turned back to look at her and met her gaze.

She was standing beside the bed with her arms folded across her chest.

"Why aren't you sleeping?" I asked.

"Ghosts don't sleep," she answered softly, and I nodded.

It might sound strange, but I wasn't scared of the girl anymore.

"Good night, Ariel," she said.

"Good night, ghostie," I responded and soon drifted off to sleep.