You lift your chin and square your shoulders. Luke did you a solid on those stairs, and if you're perfectly honest with yourself, you're curious about him. You've never seen a solid ghost before, much less one that looked like him. If there's some reason he keeps appearing to you, then you want to find out. Who knows? Maybe you could help him.

You head into the cabin, and Luke remains looking out the window and into the yard. Hesitantly, you close the door behind you. Better get this party started then. "Luke?"

He turns his head to face you, and his eyes are pure white again. It's hella creepy. You clear your throat when he doesn't say anything. "Lucas?"

Immediately, his eyes darken until they are a very light brown. He looks confused. "Lu...cas?" His voice is faint again.

You nod. "That's your name, isn't it?" Somehow, you are suddenly confident that you're speaking the truth. This is the same boy you read about late last night. "Lucas Schultz."

His brow creases and he takes a step toward you. It takes all of your willpower not to step back at the same time. "Yes...that's my name. Luke, for short." His voice becomes stronger as he takes another step toward you.

Your legs tremble as he gets closer. He looks so much more solid than he did a minute ago. The temperature drops and your breath comes out in a mist now. His eyes are trained on you, like there's nothing else in the world to look at.

"Thank you, for saving me last night, Luke. I owe you."

The corner of his lips move up into a shy smile. His eyes become darker brown. "I couldn't let you fall. You would have gotten hurt." His brow creases. "You're okay, aren't you?"

You nod. "Yeah, I'm okay." You hesitate a moment, not quite knowing what to say to a ghost. "My name...I should probably introduce myself." That seems like a reasonable thing to do in this incredibly insane moment. You tell him your name, still unsure of what comes next.

Luke nods. "It's nice to meet you, ma'am."

You stare at each other, both a little uncertain. Luke speaks again. "Sorry to bother you, ma'am, but do you know where my sister is?"

"Your sister?" Vaguely, you recall the article mentioning something about a sister.

"Her name is Annabelle. I've been looking for her..." He frowns. "I feel like I have to check on her but... I'm not sure why." He turns away from you, eyes moving to the yard again. You can see him begin to fade once more.

"I'll find her," you blurt out without thinking about it first. "I swear!"

Luke smiles softly and disappears completely. His voice echoes in the air. "Thank you."

[Go to chapter: Twelve]