Three Idiots and a Ghost

Because there are no second chances in death (part 01)

"Would anyone like some apple pie?" Granny asked.

Warrick raised his hand. "Yes, please."

He followed her into the kitchen, both because Granny's pies were his favorite and because he didn't want to clean up the aftermath in the living room.

"You always did love my apple pies, Walter."

"I'm Warrick, Granny."

Walt sighed as he began putting out the candles and stacking them inside their original cardboard box by himself. Meanwhile, Ever remained sitting on the wooden floor in silence. She was shivering in her wet clothes, the coldness even more piercing after having been in a state of complete numbness as a ghost.

A ghost.

She was beginning to doubt whether any of that had happened at all. Her flying through the sky. Being invisible to the entire world. Dying.

"I'll get you a change of clothes," Walt said, picking up the candle box to return it to the storage closet upstairs.

He came back shortly with one of his sweatshirts and an old pair of gym shorts from middle school. It was the only thing that looked to fit the shorter girl.

"The bathroom's down the hall over there."

"Yeah. Thanks—"

When Ever tried to push herself up, she nearly tumbled back, not expecting herself to be so heavy. Yet another huge contrast from her brief state as a weightless ghost. Feeling these drastic changes, it was hard to deny the events of this past hour.

Ever actually did die. She stepped off that bridge. She killed herself.

But by some miracle, she was now alive again. In this house full of weirdos.

"Do you need some help?" Walt offered.

Ever pushed his hand away. "I'm fine."

With a bit more effort than usual, Ever managed to get herself on her feet. Though the first few steps were awkward, she quickly remembered what it meant to walk as a living, breathing human.

Ever found the small bathroom and got changed. Her new clothes were very baggy on her thin figure, but it was better than being wet and cold. Before walking out, she looked at herself in the mirror. The blue hue that had enveloped her was gone. Her hair was damp and so tangled that she couldn't run her fingers through it anymore. She quickly gave up doing something about it, instead washing off the smeared makeup on her eyes and lips. With her face bare and plain, the red accessory around her neck stood out more than ever.

It was strange. As tight as the choker was, she wouldn't have even noticed it was on her had she not checked the mirror. She expected it to stretch as there was no other way to take off the single string of fabric without cutting it. However, no matter how much she scratched at her neck, she couldn't get any sort of hold on it. It was as if it had become a part of her skin.

"What the hell did you do to me?" Ever said as she stomped back to the living room.

The family of three was seated on the sofa with their respective plates of pie. Walt held one out for Ever, too.

"I don't want it."

Warrick looked at her disapprovingly. "Your loss. Granny's pies are the best."

"Thank you, Walter."

"You're welcome, Granny. Give me, Walt. I'll eat it."

"Are you going to answer my question or not?"

"Alright," Walt said. "It's pointless to hide it from you now anyway. This will probably be hard to believe, but Warrick, Granny, and I are psychics. Our entire family is."

"Yeah, I don't believe it." Ever would have added you fucking psychos if it wasn't for the elderly woman sitting across from her.

"But you should have experienced it yourself. How your spirit left your body and got brought back in with our help."

"Well, that's..." Ever was at a loss for words.

"Look, the chant we used on you isn't perfect. Warrick and I came up with it when we were only five. It was just supposed to be for our pet rabbit. But even with him, there were some... complications."

"What complications?"

Walt hesitated to give her an answer. Ever turned to his twin who was equally quiet as he finished the last few bites of what was supposed to have been her slice of pie. With no one else left, she looked at Granny.

"Do you happen to know?"

"Why, yes. I remember it like it was yesterday," she replied rather nostalgically. "Our little Fred eventually turned into a zombie."