I was alarmed by the creepy giggles. Though, not as much as Ariana. Old Ariana panicked because she thought that she was being attacked and swung her cane all around. She demanded to know what teenager was pranking her and promised that she would spank him or her like that he or she had never been spanked before.

"Whoa!" I said. I ducked my head and covered the top of it with my hand. I used my other hand to try to grab the cane.

Derek was the only person in our little group to not be surprised or in the very least frightened by the giggles. He ordered me to calm my grandma down and chuckled. I let a whoosh of air escape my mouth and told him with a firm tone to never call her my grandmother again.

"Relax, Daniel. I was only kidding. But seriously. You need to keep her calm and collective."

I finally got ahold of the cane and lowered the end of it to the ground. I then took her hand into my mine and rubbed the back of it. "It is okay, Grandma. I mean, Ariana."

The ghost burst out laughing and slapped his ghostly knee. "Oh my gosh. You called her your grandma!"

"It was a mistake!" I desperately wanted to end this topic, so I said, "Do you know what - or who - is causing these annoying and disturbing giggles?"

"I do. I have come across these woods before. My friend Bridget is doing the giggling."

"I did not know that you had another friend, let alone a girl named Bridget."

"You never asked."

"How was I supposed to ask if you claimed that you did not have any friends when you and I first met?"

"I did not have human friends. I figured that the human part was implied."

According to him, Bridget was a ghost like him. She was colorful, and no human except chosen ones like me could see her. They could only hear her. She was the same age as Derek when she passed away and had long, purple hair. She wore a purple shirt with long, blue sleeves and purple pants with blue shoes.

"Bridget is a good and sweet ghost," Derek complimented. "But I am warning you right now. She can get pretty annoying at times."

"How can she get annoying?"

He did not get the chance to answer my question because Bridget had appeared in front of us. She was floating a couple inches from the ground and smiled at each of us. Her hair danced in the breeze.

"Derek!" She wrapped her ghostly arms around his ghostly neck and planted a kiss on the tip of his nose. "Could not stop wanting me, huh?"

Derek gently pushed her off him and wiped his nose with his palm. "I cannot believe that you kissed me with two mortals standing not far from where we are."

"Pfft! Let them witness the kiss and many more. It does not bother me."

Their interaction got me thinking. Were they more than just friends?

Because Derek could read my inner thoughts, he glanced at me and said, "We are just friends. Nothing more. Nothing less."

Bridget stared at me with interest. "Who is he?" She floated to me and Ariana. "Who are you, young man?"

"I am Daniel," I replied.

"Daniel? As in...the Daniel? The one whom Derek always talks about and is best friends with?"

"That is me."

The ghost girl held out a ghostly hand, and we shook hands. "It is a pleasure - no, an honor - to meet the one and only. I always wanted to meet you, but thought that I would never receive the chance to." She gestured to Ariana. "I take it that this would be your grandmother."

I sighed heavily. "I know that you do not know, so I will let you off the hook this time. This is my girlfriend Ariana. She is supposed to be a teen like me and more energized than this."

She narrowed her eyebrows and sounded as if she did not believe me. "If Ariana is supposedly a teen, why does she look like that she should be living in a nursing home?"

"Ariana is an old person, Bridget," Derek stated. "Of course, she belongs in a nursing home."

"Then why did you bring her here and not to a nursing home?"

"We brought Ariana to these woods because only you can help her."

Ariana and I - well, just me - were told by the ghosts that Bridget was the guardian of the purple stone. Only she knew where it was located and could allow access to those who needed it. I asked her if she would help Ariana, and Bridget said that she would if we did something for her first.

"What would you like for us to do?" I asked.

"You and your girlfriend cannot do anything. I mean, I am sure that you two can do lots of things, however, it all comes down to Derek." She smirked at him.

My ghost friend started backing away. "I did not die yesterday. I know exactly what you are thinking."

"Oh, come on, Derek. I will make it a quick peck on the lips."

"Nope."

She placed her hands on her waist. "My apologies, Daniel. I guess that your girlfriend will stay old and wrinkly forever."

I had no other choice but to give Derek the puppy eyes. A short kiss was not the end of the world, and Ariana's life was hanging in the balance.

He finally gave in and threw his hands up. "Alright! I will kiss Bridget. But it had better be short. So short that I barely feel her lips brushing against mine."

Bridget squealed. "As you wish, my love."

"Do not call me your love."

Bridget floated to him and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. She was satisfied.

Now Ariana would surely be saved.

Famous last words.