What Ghost? (Complete)

Chapter Ten: Lance Meets Becky

Billy was watching a movie and just starting to nod off, when there was a knock on the door.

"Yeah, come in," Lance called out from the other side of the room.

One of the year seven boys stood in the doorway, his face alight with excitement. "Hey, did you guys hear? The Paranormal Club geeks reckon there was a ghost out on the basketball courts. Apparently it flicked Brad's hat right off his head!"

Billy's stomach did a back-flip, and he felt the blood drain from his face. "When was this?" he asked, disgusted that his voice came out a bit high-pitched and shaky.

The boy looked at Billy with interest. "About half an hour ago. Hey, aren't you the new guy, Billy? Brad was saying they originally thought the ghost might have been attached to you, but seeing it happened when you weren't around it couldn't have been. You okay? ...'Cos right now, you look like you've seen a ghost." He chuckled, and looked back at Lance.

Lance frowned. "Back off Sam, Billy just has a thing about ghosts 'cos his twin sister died at birth."

Sam looked uncomfortable. "Hey, sorry man, I didn't mean to..."

Billy shook his head and pasted a smile onto his face. "It's all good Sam, don't stress over it. I'm fine."

Sam nodded and backed out the door, mumbling something about needing to spread the word. He closed the door and they heard him knocking on the door of the next room.

Lance broke the uncomfortable silence by clearing his throat. "Hey, don't stress over anything those stupid paranormal geeks say. They're always making stuff up to try and justify their existence."

Billy looked at Lance and shrugged. "Thing is, this time they were probably right."

Now it was Lance's turn to have the blood drain from his face. "Sorry? What the hell are you talking about? You don't seriously believe..."

Billy cut him off with a frustrated growl. "I'm saying; the ghost was probably Becky, my twin sister. She's been hanging around ever since she died fifteen years ago."

Lance burst out laughing. "Wow, you almost had me going for a while there! Your dead twin sister's ghost...you're hysterical man!" Lance stopped laughing when he realised the look on Billy's face hadn't changed. "You can't be serious? Everyone knows there's no such..."

Billy sucked in a breath and held up his hand. "Please don't say it again...that's what started all this in the first place!" He recognised the familiar look growing on Lance's face. Damnit, how many times had he seen that look on people's faces over the years? Gee, what a surprise? Of course Lance thought he was a lunatic. Just what he needed, another member to join the Billie Pellins Belongs in the Nuthouse Club!

He stood up and glared at Lance. He was so sick of people giving him that look! "Fine, you don't believe me? You think I've got a screw loose? Maybe this'll change your mind...Becky, where are you?"

Becky appeared in the room in front of him. "Billy, what the hell is wrong with you? Why'd you call me in front of your roommate?"

"Because I'm sick to bloody death of everyone thinking I belong in the looney bin because I see dead people. I want you to show yourself to Lance." Lance sat on his bed, shivering and looking wildly around the room. Enough was enough. It was time to find out if anyone else could actually see her.

Now Becky was looking at Billy as if he'd lost his mind. "Seriously? You only just met this guy. How do you know we can trust him?"

Billy sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "We don't. But I have to share a room with him for the next year, and I'm over feeling like an idiot all the time! Can you just do it...please?"

Lance had stood up, and was trying to edge slowly towards the door. Becky shrugged and closed her eyes. She sort of shimmered in front of him, as if she was going to disappear, and then reappeared as her 'normal' self. Whatever she'd done seemed to have worked, because Lance's eyes almost popped out of his head, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. And then his eyes rolled back and he slumped to the floor.

Becky sighed, her hands on her hips. "So...that could have gone better I'm thinking! Looks like he might have fainted." She giggled as she looked at Billy with raised eyebrows. "Now what do we do genius?"

Billy paced the small area next to his bed. "I guess we'll just have to wait 'til he comes to. Damn, how was I to know the sight of you would make him faint?"

"Hey, don't try blaming this on me! This was all your idea bright spark! I tried to tell you it was a bad idea, but oh no, you..."

A soft moan came from the boy lying on the ground. "Okay, sounds like he's coming around. Maybe you should sortof hang back a bit...give him some space for a minute."

Becky shrugged and floated over to sit on Billy's bed. Lance sat up, rubbing his head and looking around. He groaned at the sight of Becky. "I didn't dream it did I? She really is a ghost?"

Billy shrugged, trying to look apologetic. "Sorry Lance, I didn't mean to freak you out. I'm just over people looking at me the way you were."

Lance chuckled. "Yeah well, next time you don't want to freak someone out, try not introducing them to your dead sister's ghost. But I was kinda thinking you had a screw loose. I'm still thinking it might just be that your insanity's contagious. This is so weird...I feel like I'm in a movie or something."

Lance had just started to get to his feet when John's disembodied head popped through the door. "Hey...am I interrupting anything?" Billy groaned as he realised Lance could see him, and flinched as Lance's eyes rolled back and he slumped down onto the floor again.

John stepped into the room. "Ooppss...did I do that? Sorry...but how come he could see me?"

Billy was looking daggers at Becky. "I was just about to ask exactly the same question John. Well Becky?"

Becky shrugged. "How should I know? I've never done this before either. Maybe the fact that he had to believe in ghosts to see me means he can now see all ghosts? Who knows?"

Another soft moan from the floor told them Lance was waking up again. He stayed where he was, his eyes still closed. "I did it again, didn't I? Fainted I mean. But I swear I saw a head poking out of the door and talking..."

"My bad," John said. "I didn't know you'd be able to see me."

Lance opened one eye, shuddering as he looked up at them all. He sat up, rubbing his head where it had hit the floor. "I've really gotta get a hold on the whole fainting thing. This is all totally insane! I can't believe my room has turned into something out of the Twilight Zone."

Billy chuckled and helped Lance to his feet. "Sorry man...welcome to my world!"

Lance sat on his bed and shook his head. "I've gotta hand it to you Billy. You sure know how to make an impact...and to think, this is only your first day!"