What Ghost? (Complete)

Chapter Three: Becky

Becky sighed as she watched the interaction between her brother and her mother. What she wouldn't give to hug them both just once. That was one of the hardest things about being a ghost.... the lack of physical contact. But she knew it was part of the bargain, the rules of being a Guardian Angel were very specific!

Even though she'd only been a baby when she'd died, she'd been given the choice of being reborn into a different life or staying on earth as Billy's Guardian Angel. Apparently, it was common for a deceased twin to want to stay. Something about sharing a placenta creating a bond even before birth.

So, she'd gone with option B! Of course, Billy thought she was just his kooky twin sister whose ghost had been stuck here. He had no idea she was his Guardian Angel, or even that Guardian Angels existed. The only time he'd ever seen her in the whole angel's getup was when she was trying to grovel for forgiveness after one of her regular stuff-ups.

She'd flatly refused to continue the whole white flowing dress and wings thing when they were toddlers. The first time Billy had gone to day-care, and she'd seen all the other little girls in their oh-so-cute pink frilly outfits, she'd insisted she needed to 'fit in' and changed her outfit accordingly. The Archangels had tried to argue, but some rules were just made to be broken!

Luckily, Billy had turned out to be a great brother, and she had always worked hard to make sure his life was never boring. When he'd had been old enough to understand how the real world worked, he'd asked her how come she was still around. Becky had just shrugged and told him she must have missed the bright light or something. He'd looked unconvinced, but had left it at that. For some reason, she always felt that if he found out she'd chosen to stay with him, instead of being reborn and having a real life, he'd be angry with her.

There had been times over the last fifteen years when she'd wondered if she'd made the right decision, usually after an episode where she'd done something stupid and Billy was furious with her.  Or when Billy got hurt, and their mother made a huge fuss of him and kissed the hurt away. Damn, she'd have given anything to be the one being kissed and hugged. But there were always good and bad sides to every situation, and when Billy was stuck in bed with chickenpox for a week, she'd decided she was definitely the one with all the perks. 

Becky had been over-the-moon when she'd learned they were going to boarding school. Although their parents were loving and caring, they'd never been able to hide the fact that their careers, and each other, were the most important things in their lives. Billy had spent far too much time at home alone, with Becky as his only company. Not that she minded, but she also knew he needed to spend more time with the living.

Becky snapped out of her trip down memory lane when Mrs Stomp handed Billy the key to his room. She winked at Billy, and zipped off to investigate. Finding room twenty-one easily enough, she slipped through the door and then stopped dead. There were two beds! Billy had a roommate?

Becky laughed at the thought of Billy's reaction when he found out he had a roommate. Well, at least the room showed no signs the other guy was a testosterone pumped jock, or a crazed heavy metal fan, or something equally distasteful. The distinct lack of sporting paraphernalia and weird posters was usually a good sign. But Billy would still be stressed to the max. He was always so paranoid about someone 'feeling her presence', which she knew was largely due to her inability to refrain from interfering in his life.

But sometimes it was just impossible not to interfere. Admittedly, it was usually Billy who had to pay the price for her interference. There'd been times when they were growing up when he'd had to make up wild stories to cover up what she'd considered harmless fun. But some of those kids had really deserved the accidents that had befallen them. There was no way she'd allow her brother to be bullied... EVER!

A photo of a huge family on the roommate's desk drew her attention. She counted seven kids staring googly eyed at the camera, with two smiling adults she assumed were their parents. Cool, just what Billy needed, a guy from a big, happy family to hang out with. Most of his friends from Sydney had been only children like him, their parents so busy in the corporate world of the big city they only made enough time to produce one offspring to ensure the continuance of the family line.

She sighed as she sat down on Billy's bed to wait. Of course, it would be an added bonus if this roommate were also cute. The family photo on the desk was obviously an old one. The eldest boy looked to be about ten. Well, she'd just have to be patient, a quality she lacked at the best of times. The sound of footsteps in the hallway, followed by a key being inserted into the lock, told her the waiting might be over already.