You Can See Them Too? (Paranorman Fanfiction)

Chapter 4: Friends?

Isabelle's P.O.V

Neil dragged us up some steps to a pastel-coloured house where I could see a blue van out near the front with two legs sticking out from underneath and some tools near the van.
"Neil? Is that you?" a voice came from underneath the van.
Huh, guess they're brothers or something.

"Hey Mitch! We're gonna go play with the dead dog in the garden and we're not even gonna have to dig him up first!" Neil said.
Mitch stopped whatever he was doing to the van and slid out from underneath. He had a short, flat haircut for his ginger hair, looked as though he worked out quite regularly, had a couple of tattoos, wore a white and orange shirt, blue shorts and looked to be the kind of guy who wore flip-flops everyday, all year.

"What'd you say?" He asked, pulling Neil to the side and looking over to me and Norman, where we stood awkwardly.
"Neil, isn't he that weird kid? Y'know, "Look at me, I talk to ghosts so people will pay attention to me." And the new girl that moved into the house across from ours?" He asked in a low voice. "With that pretty good looking brother as well?" He added, though that was in a much lower tone.
Neil pulled a weird face at his older brother. "Can you stop doing that? It's kinda stupid."

"Now listen to me, you don't need to be hanging out with weird people. That's a tip." Mitch said.
Neil scowled and rolled his eyes. "Don't blow this for me, Mitch. These two aren't weird. They talk to dead people." He said before walking back to us.
"Sorry about that." He said before leading us through the gate to the backyard.

Once Neil lead us through the gate Norman and I stood off to the side awkwardly in the garden full of lawn decorations and different garden gnomes while Neil searched for something in the bushes.
'Maybe I should of gone home instead.' I thought.
"He's around here somewhere..." Neil said as he looked through the bushes.
It went silent with only the rustling of bushes and birds being heard.
"So does everyone come back as a ghost?" Neil asked me and Norman.

I blinked, I wasn't sure, I just randomly started seeing ghosts after the accident...
"No. My grandma told me it's usually people who still have stuff to figure out. Or sometimes it's the ones who died suddenly, or in a bad way." Norman said.
I flashed him a grateful smile in which he returned.
'My parents and Madeline died suddenly, that may be why they're back as ghosts.' I thought before hearing a bark.
Norman and I turned around to see a translucent pug wagging it's tail cheerfully, even though it was neatly chopped in half.

"Bub?" Norman said a bit confused.
"Is he there? How's he looking?" Neil asked excitedly.
Bub barked before his front half noticed his tail and went to sniff his behind.
"Uh...good." I said as Bub saw Neil.
Bub bounded over to Neil, his behind following him, and ran clean through Neil's...chubby calves before trying again.
Neil bent down and started talking to Bub in a higher pitched voice.
"Who's a good boy, huh? Good boy!" Neil said before looking over to Norman and me. "Can he feel it if I pet him?"
"Uh, yeah, I guess." Norman and I said in unison.
Neil bent over and tried kissing Bub, which kind of looked as though he was kissing the air near his ankles, kissing Bub's...behind.

I snorted and giggled as Norman tried telling Neil what he was kissing.
"Uh, that's not his chin."
Neil stopped and stood up quickly, wiping his mouth, before picking up a stick and waving it in front of Bub's nose.
"Go get it!" Neil said, throwing the stick, which Bub chased after, though failed to catch it.
I smiled at the goofiness of Neil before Norman started talking.
"He can't fetch it, y'know." Norman said, stuffing his hands into his hoodie pockets.
I elbowed him. "Just let him have his moment." I said.

"Yeah well, it's still fun. Good boy! Bring it back! Go get it, Bub! Good boy!" Neil said, not really caring that he was throwing a stick around for a dead dog.
The stick landed at my feet, so I picked it up and threw it over Neil before joining in with the stick-throwing game, with Norman watching.

Eventually I threw the stick over to Norman, where it landed at his feet. He bent down and picked up the stick, eyeing it uncertainly.
"Why don't you try?" Neil asked, looking over to Norman.
"Yeah, come on, you're gonna get bored just watching us." I said.
"'Cos I don't really, uh... You can go." Norman said.
"No, no, it's fun! Try it!" Neil encouraged.
"No I don't want to."

Ugh seriously, has he been living under a rock and not know how to throw a stick?
"You throw it. It's really easy." Continued Neil.
"Yeah, it's easy. Even I can do it." I said.
"No it's okay. You two can throw it."
"No, c'mon, it's really fun."
"Here, you two go first." Norman said, holding out the stick to me and Neil.
I crossed my arms, making no effort to get the stick.
"No, you try it. We've already went like fifty times." Argued Neil.

"Okay, what do I do?" Norman asked, giving in.
"You get the stick, you pull it back, and you throw it!" I explained, doing the actions so he could get the gist.
Norman threw the stick and accidentally threw it into Neil's face, knocking him down.
"Neil! Are you ok?" I asked, running over to him.
"Neil? Sorry!" Norman said, running over to him as well.
Neil started giggling as he sat up, holding the stick in between his teeth.
"I fetched it!" He said triumphantly.
I started giggling at Neil, so did Norman before we both burst out laughing.
"Are you ok?" Norman asked again as Neil stood up, nodding.
"So what now?" I asked with a smile.

...maybe I've found some good friends to hang out with...