I was surrounded by idiots. My friends, Lacy, Annie, Lucy, and Sophie, had convinced me to go to the Mad House. And before you ask, no, my name isn't Lily or Hallie or something like that. It's Samantha, but everyone calls me Sam.
"Come on, Sam," Lacy yelled. I grunted and jogged toward them, shoving my hands in my hoodie pockets. I fingered the phone in my pockets, wishing I could take it out and listen to music. Annie was about to grab the door handles when an explosion of wind knocked us back.
"Do not enter!" a voice boomed. "Do not enter, or you will never return!" A girl floated, floated, out of the fog. She was pale, and had long brown hair. She looked almost exactly like me, except she was wearing a nightgown and her eyes were blue.
Lucy and Sophie screamed, and the girls ran, leaving me behind. I cursed them mentally, being frozen in fear at the moment. The girl -ghost- looked at me and her eyes softened.
"You especially must go. If you enter this house, your life will never be the same."
I swallowed, and ignored her, grasping the handles of the Mad House door. Instantly, voices whispered through my head. One stuck out, though.
"My first is in malaria but not in real. My second is in underfeed but not in defender. My third is in enchantress but not in chasten. My fourth is in electrocardiogram but not in meteorological. My fifth is in prenuptial but not in tarpaulin. My sixth is in tarsal but not in slat. My seventh is in ascertainment but not in antimacassar. My eighth is in president but not in serpentine."
"What does..." I mumbled, before being yanked back to reality.
"No!" the ghost shrieked. "I will not let you involve another innocent being!" She turned to me and I flinched at her glare. "Here," she snapped. She tore off a pendent I hadn't noticed before and put it on me. I gazed down at it in wonder. It was a smooth fire opal, hanging by a short golden chain. Reds and oranges and yellows flashed and twirled in it, and I could get lost in there.
"Don't stare," the ghost growled, drawing my attention away from the opal. "It won't come off. Ever. So don't try. Salem!" A small transparent shape slinked out of the mansion. A white cat. He sat before me and purred.
"Good morning, Madam." My mouth gaped and my brain tried to put science to what I was seeing, but it could only come up to the fact that I must be insane.
"This is Salem. He'll help you with everything you need to know," the ghost girl told me. "He'll be with you every moment of every day. And if you need me... ask him to speak to Commi." With that, the ghost, Commi, vanished.
"Come along, Madam," Salem stood and started walking. Dumbly, I followed. "I imagine you have some questions. So ask away, and I shall tell you what I can."
"How can you talk?" was my first question, and I mentally face palmed. But Salem only chuckled.
"I'm dead, Madam."
"Stop calling me Madam, Salem. My name is Sam."
"Alright then, Lady Sam." I snarled, and Salem smirked at me.
"Why you little-"
"Ah-ah, language, Lady Sam." I was right about ready to kick this stupid cat, and he knew it, judging by the fact that he scooted farther away from me.
"So... the voices..."
"Souls. Ghosts. Spirits. Ghouls. Ghasts. Poltergeists. Whatever you want to call them," Salem replied, all sarcasm gone. I shuddered.
"They gave me a riddle." Salem whipped around and pinned his ears to his head.
"Don't listen. They'll drag you into this, and heaven forbid that happens."
"Drag me into what?" I asked, annoyed.
"That's on a need to know basis, Lady Sam, and you do not need to know," Salem replied, and continued walking. I swear I am gonna kill this cat.