As the door slammed shut, the ghost-girl slithered out of the living room and let out a lengthy sigh. "Ugh, thank goodness, they're gone." She floated upwards and peered out the large windows above the front door. "They're definitely gone, because their vehicle is driving off."

Arielle sauntered out into the entryway, but stayed at ground-level, focused on the chalk outline of herself. Benny and Kylie's absence—or presence, for that matter—meant little to her after the ghost-girl's revelation.

Had she died immediately? Had she suffered? Was she left there, bleeding out for hours, before she finally succumbed to her wounds? She couldn't remember, and she wondered how long it took someone... to die.

She claims I've been dead for months...

"We won't need to be as discreet now," said the ghost, lowering to Arielle's height with a smile. "At least, I won't. I don't think they can fully sense you yet. You're... a baby."

Arielle flinched. "A baby." She disliked the comparison. "And I died... months ago? How... is that possible?"

"Excellent question." The ghost shimmied over to the stairs and sat on the bottom step. Her head went through the faded tape, and the sight disturbed Arielle so much she had to avert her gaze. "When you die, you... go to sleep, at first. It's hard to explain, but your soul basically stays in your body as you... process your demise."

Lashes fluttering, Arielle whipped towards the ghost again, trying to ignore the tape slicing through her head. "Process my demise? Ghosts... the dead... have to process things?"

"Just because you're dead doesn't mean you're not human. You may not physically feel things, but... you still have emotions. Your soul controls those." The ghost spoke in such a nonchalant, lukewarm tone, it was as if she'd repeated the speech many times to many newcomers. She peered at her nails, disinterested despite having said Arielle's question was interesting. "So you sleep. The amount of time that you sleep varies from person to person, and I have no clue how that's determined. But when you wake... there are several options."

"Options?" Arielle gulped, not sure if she'd processed her demise, what with the shock she'd received when waking up. "Do we... choose where to go, or what happens to us?"

She remembered waking up, but she didn't remember being confronted with any choices.

"You don't choose, no. The... universe does." The ghost picked at lint on the short sleeves of her T-shirt, and lounged against the second step, crossing one leg over the other, dangling her foot. "I'm not clear on all the options, but I know for sure your soul either shoots over to the Soul Realm, or it stays stuck down here because you're not ready for... recycling."

The words chosen by the ghost weren't lost on Arielle. Process, choice, recycling—she had more knowledge than she let on, and Arielle wanted to eat it all up, no matter how frightening it all was. This was what she'd searched for, what she'd hoped to find out—what happens after death.

"What's a... Soul Realm?"

She caught the ghost's discreet cheek twitch and the wrinkling of her nostrils. "Don't ask—I have little information on it. It's more of a rumor than anything else. Because once you go there... you can't return here, so no one's been able to confirm if it's real or not." She switched legs and pulled her foot over her knee, inspecting the laces of her sneakers. "Your soul is currently in the Void, in an encasing," she gestured towards Arielle, from head to toe, "until you understand what's holding you back."

Encasing? Interesting way to describe a body.

With a few sentences thrown together in a bored tone, this ghost had basically debunked most of religion. She'd said universe, and not God; she'd said recycling, and not heaven or afterlife. If she'd been alive, Arielle would have applauded herself for being an atheist, if what this being claimed was true. But her dead self, her soul, wasn't convinced and didn't trust this specter-girl and her too-easy demeanor.

"Soul Realm, encasing, souls... this is all so specific," said Arielle, once more drawn to her silhouette painted on the hardwood floor. She imagined herself there, sprawled out, blood leaking from her wounds, no one to hear her scream or come to her rescue. Locked in a house in a forest off the side of a rest-stop in the middle of nowhere in Georgia; had that evil spirit led her there? Or had the universe done so because it was her fate to die? Because she'd wanted answers, and the universe wanted to deliver?

Her migraine hadn't subsided, and it once more burned in her temples, reminding her that overthinking would only worsen her pain. But joining that pain was a pang in her chest, a stab in her gut, and a constricting feeling around her neck.

I need to chill, don't I?

"It is, and it takes a while to get acquainted with it all." The ghost stood up and drifted over to the opposite end of the room, fixed on something Arielle couldn't see. She cocked her head, zeroed in on an object hanging from the wall, and growled. "Ah, those assholes are still watching us!" With a deep inhale and exhale, and allowing an eerie, angry glow to grow around her, she swiped at whatever the item was, sending it hurdling across the area.

Arielle raced over to discover what it was—and gasped. "A camera?"

"Yeah, looks like those agents set some up during one of their sweeps." The ghost groaned as she kicked at the device, once more managing to touch it with little effort. "I had a hunch, but I hadn't noticed it until now. How many more did they place in here, do you think? We must destroy them all."

"Okay, but," Arielle waved at the ghost, desperate for her attention, "can we continue this conversation, first? They're gone for the night, so we'll have time to hunt down cameras and break them later, if that's what you want."

"It is." The ghost crossed her arms and huffed, and her brows scrunched. "But you're right. I should be more forthcoming with you, if I'm to train you to do stuff in this realm. I wouldn't want you to be bored while you're thinking about why you haven't moved on."

Arielle scoffed. "Bored? Ghosts can be bored?"

The ghost rolled her eyes. "Keep up, kid. I said you can still feel things. So yeah, there's a big chance you'll be bored. Especially in this place, where few humans ever pop up."

The agony in Arielle's rib-cage amplified. She clawed at her shirt, wondering how she could be suffering when her heart was inactive. She stilled; how was she breathing? How was she able to smell anything, how was there still a pungent coppery aroma in her mouth?

"I'm... confused. How do you know all this? How do you get access to these rumors, the information about the supposed Soul Realm?" She imagined other spirits stopping by and delivering gossip and taking off to wherever they were doomed to haunt. She pictured angelic-like beings dropping in and divulging intelligence about other realms, and making ghosts swear not to share it with newbies.

Jeez, there's so much left to discover.

A slither of irritation ignited in the ghost's tone. "Because I've been around for a long time, hun. I've gotten the hang of things and though I should have faced my unfinished business many moons ago... I haven't. I like it here; the gloominess, the peacefulness. If I were to move on, I'd have to reset... and I'm not ready for that."

"Reset?" With so many new terms to drink in, so many meanings to interpret, Arielle's temples throbbed harder, faster, like thick needles were drilling into her skull. "Ugh, none of this makes sense."

The ghost pursed her lips as she planted before Arielle. "Oh, but it will. I'll make sure it does. That's my job after all; to help other ghosts out." The ominous twinge in her tone stilled the air, as if pausing all molecules and freezing the oxygen.

Arielle slid backwards, overwhelmed by the sudden negative vibe in the ghost's aura. Had she offended her? "Other ghosts? I thought you said few came here?" She snorted. "And you didn't even know that bully loitered in the vicinity with her threats and her evilness! I don't get it. You make no sense, either."

The ghost's hands grabbed at Arielle's shoulders, immobilizing her in place. "I said few humans come here. Ghosts... can still show up at will. And I can travel, too."

Neck tensing, Arielle leaned away, though unable to fully break free from the ghost's grasp. "What? Ghosts can... travel? I thought... I thought I was stuck in this house?"

"You might be." The specter's fingers dug into Arielle's shoulders. "We all have a perimeter, a zone we're confined to, and mine... happens to be vast."

The waves of information continued to weigh on Arielle's soul as the ghost spat them out. Every answer created more questions, and every question flashed before her and blinded her, plaguing her with a worsening confusion. "What the fuck is a perimeter?"

"Oof, you newbie ghosts," said the specter-girl, releasing Arielle. She spun and sighed and threw her arms up. "So many inquiries, so much curiosity, and so much to teach you." She whipped back around, one brow arched as she flipped her hair and smirked. "But we have so much time, sweetie. Hold on to those questions, and have some patience, would you?"

"Patience?" Arielle wished she hadn't woken up. She wished she hadn't wished to comprehend life after death, that she hadn't insisted on taking the ghost-tour, that she hadn't been so adamant on contacting Jade. It was her impatience and stubbornness that had landed her there, and that had likely killed Stella.

And now, according to this specter, she had a lot of time to wait before figuring it all out, at last.