ALICE

CHAPTER 1- GHOST SQUAD

"Seems like you two have had a lot of fresh air!" said Charlie with an amused look, as Alice and Maria entered the house.

"Charlie, the least you could do is offer the ladies a glass of water!" said Mike.

Mike and Charlie were Alice's two more ghost friends. Despite being twins they were nothing alike, which often made Alice wonder if they really were twins.

Mike was one and a half minutes older than Charlie, a fact which Mike always rubbed into his brother's face. Charlie though, was an inch taller than Mike. A fact he used every time Mike called him young. They were both Maria's age, and were like two protective older brothers to Alice. Something which she had always wanted.

Judging by their flannel shirt and trousers, they seemed to have died recently. Though Alice could not be sure. They were both really handsome. Mike with his black hair and green eyes, and Charlie with black hair and brown eyes.

Alice had always wanted green eyes. She would even settle for black. She hated her hazel eyes, which made her appear as untrustworthy.

"It makes you look clever dear!" Maria had often said to Alice, whenever she brought the topic out.

Mike and Charlie were orphans whom had died by coming under a car. Alice and Maria had first met them when Alice had been fifteen. They were out for their usual evening stroll, and in front of them had been quite a scene. Alice remembered it perfectly. Charlie had been making ghostly noises, while Mike had been trying to drag his brother away from the unconscious police officer, who had been lying on the ground.

"CHARLIE, LEAVE HIM!" Mike had shouted.

"Relax brother, he is not dead!" Charlie had pointed out. "Besides, he is too bad at his job.He was letting criminals escape!"

Mike, who had been holding Charlie by the arm, released his grip. "In that case, you have my permission!" he had said.

Charlie had made a face at him. "I do not need your permission in the matter of justice!" He had said dramatically.

"Do you not think it is best to let things be dealt with by the law, rather than taking things into your own hands?" Alice had asked.

Mike had turned around with a look of horror on his face. Charlie, who had been in the middle of dropping water on the officer, from a bottle he had produced out of thin air, had frozen and stared with his jaw slightly open.

Finally, Charlie had gained his senses and had whispered in Mike's ear, "If we close our eyes and count till ten, the human and her ghost friend, or whatever she is, will disappear!" He had said this loud enough for Alice and Maria to hear. Mike though had not responded. He had been staring, but not at Alice, at Maria.

"I think you might've switched roles," Alice had said, looking at Charlie. "I am supposed to be the one closing my eyes and you should be the ones to disappear."

"Oh right! We're the ones who are dead." Charlie had replied, as if he had just realized that, and Alice had laughed loud enough to get stares from people passing by.

She did not quite know how, but from that day onwards, the four of them were tightly knit. Alice had even named their little group her 'Ghost Squad.'

Maria was with Alice almost the whole time, but the twins used to come early morning and leave before Sophie arrived, for reasons Alice still did not get.

"So when you guys are not with me, where do you go?" Alice had once asked all of them.

"I research!" Maria had said, dropping a wink. Alice knew exactly what her 'research' was.

"We travel the world!" Mike had proudly replied.

"One good thing about being a ghost is the speed you can travel with. London to Japan in less than three minutes!" Charlie had said, with a huge smile.

The twins never seemed to be sad about being ghosts unlike Maria, who seemed to hate it. Then again, the twins did not have anything to live for. All they needed was each other, as ghosts or as living people, but maybe Maria did. Alice had often wondered how little she knew about her friend. She had always suppressed that thought with the hope that one day Maria would trust Alice just like how she did. She was still waiting for that day.

"So Miss Alice," Charlie was saying now, struggling to hold Mike to Alice's chin. "Stay still Mike! You are a mike now."

"Just because I am named Mike, doesn't mean you can use me as one." Replied Mike, calmly.

"Well, try and be one for Alice then!" Maria said. Mike sighed and finally gave in. Though for her or Maria, Alice was not sure.

"So back to the question, now that our 'Mike' is in working order!" Charlie continued.

They were in Alice's room, where they all usually spent time together. Its green walls always made Alice feel secure. There was a single bed where they were sitting right now, that looked out the window, which gave a beautiful view of the woods outside. There was also a bathroom attached, which Alice had painted red herself.

Alice did not keep a lot of furniture, just the basics. A brown cupboard, with a dressing table and a mirror. She liked it that way. Unlike her mother, who had decorated the whole house with expensive furniture.

Their house was not that big. Just two bedrooms, a lounge, and a kitchen. All of which Alice hardly spent time in. She sometimes wished their house was smaller. Perhaps then she would be able to see her mother more often.

"Miss Alice, how do you feel about your eighteenth birthday, that is coming this Saturday?" Asked Charlie, finally completing his question.

"Oh!" started Alice. She had forgotten all about her birthday. All her birthdays were the same for her as far as she could remember. With her waking up and finding money beside her pillow, and a note from her mother that always read the same thing:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOVE, I MAY NOT SHOW IT BUT I LOVE YOU!

Followed by Maria's 'bought 'cake. The twins however, did change things. For the past two years, they had done countless things that made Alice want to die herself and become a ghost, just so she could hug them.

Once, they had filled Alice's entire room with kittens, just because she adored them. It had been quite a mission to clean up afterwards, but it had all been worth it. She knew she would've died a long time ago, had it not been for her ghost squad.

"Well, I am excited to see what you three have planned for me this time!" Alice replied, eyeing her friends.

"Charlie suggested we show you Paris. That was of course before he realized we can't take you with us!" said Mike. "Ouch!" He exclaimed.

Charlie had hit Mike slightly on the head. "You were not supposed to talk! Mikes only listen." he reminded.

"Now do they?" asked Mike, rubbing his head.

They would've argued the whole time about whether mikes could talk or not, when thankfully, the doorbell rang.

The door was in the lounge, which was not far away from Alice's room, making it easy for her to know when anyone came. She was grateful for how helpful that was.

"I will get it!" Announced Alice, getting up.

"Not like anyone else can without spreading rumours that your house might be haunted!" Muttered Charlie. Alice ignored this and made her way towards the door.

"Who do you think it is?" asked Maria, floating beside her.

Alice knew what she was thinking. Her mother usually arrived at dinner, not in the afternoons, and Alice did not have any other friends, apart from her ghost squad, who could pay her a visit. Maria gave her a warning look.

"Well, I have to see who it is! Whoever it is, seems desperate." Observed Alice.

Indeed, the person had left the doorbell and had now proceeded to knock on the door loudly. 

Heart pounding, Alice opened the door to find her mother standing on the threshold, with an envelope in her hand. Alice could see the name written on the envelope clearly, 'EVAN VINCENT'.