October 29

As my eyes slowly opened, I realized I was not on the sunset hill beside Harry anymore. I was standing right before the Ghost Council. Immediately, fear gripped hold of me. Saying "I love you" probably had not been the best idea.

"Cece," the leader, Ghostaphor, spoke in a booming voice, his dark eyes gazing down at me. "It's a pleasure to see you. Why, I don't think we've spoken since last Halloween party."

I nodded, too afraid to speak.

"You do understand the reason you were summoned, don't you?" he asked.

"Halloween planning?" I squeaked, knowing joking around was not appropriate with the Ghost Council. Still, I couldn't control myself.

Ghostaphor chuckled heartily. "You're such a  funny one! But no, this has nothing to do with the Halloween party. It has something to do with a certain mortal boy named Harry."

"Who?" I wondered.

His eyebrows creased in anger, and his eyes seemed to glare down at me with even more fury. I shook, frightened. "I propose we speak in a ll honesty during this trial, as I can easily banish you right now. Is that good?"

I nodded quickly, afraid to say anymore.

"Take a seat," he ordered, pointing to a large chair situated behind me. Nervously, I sat down, sweating buckets.

"Do you or do you not agree that you have been dating a mortal?"

"I agree," I admitted, looking down.

"And do you or do you not agree that this act has been kept secretive?"

"I agree," I said once more, barely audible.

"Lastly, do you or do you not agree that you have fallen in love with this mortal?"

"I agree," I spoke, my voice cracking.

"Mortals are tricky things, aren't they, Cecelia? You become too attached to them. I often find this a problem in young ghosts who never had a chance at love."

"They're called humans!" I shouted at last, furious with him.

"Feisty one," Ghostaphor grumbled. "My dear, Cecelia, we all make mistakes, but how could you make such a big mistake? Didn't you know what the consequences were for this act?"

"Yes, I knew," I whispered.

"All those who find Cecelia guilty!" Ghostaphor called. My heart pounded as slowly, one by one, the ghosts on the council began to raise their hands, all of them possessing the same glare that Ghostaphor was currently giving me. It was no doubt they wanted me banished.

"Banished it is!" Ghostaphor announced. Seeing my shock, he grinned slyly. "You had your chance, but you'll never move on like your grandmother. Down you go!"

"Please!" I begged, standing from my chair. "Just give me until Halloween!"

"Why?! We already know you're a traitor! What's the point?"

One of the other members, Ghoulaphin, stepped forward and whispered into Ghostaphor's ear.

"Why should we let her?" he yelled at him.

Ghoulaphin whispered again to Ghostaphor until finally Ghostaphor let out a sigh. Ghoulaphin then nodded, which permitted Ghostaphor to speak at last. "We'll give you a second chance," he announced unhappily. "It has been brought to my attention that young ghosts are quite stubborn. You have until Halloween at midnight to reclaim yourself and prove yourself worthy of being a real ghost."

"Thank you!" I exclaimed.

Suddenly, the room vanished, and I opened my eyes to find Harry leaning over me.

"What happened?" he asked, helping me up.

"Nothing," I admitted.

"I-I didn't think ghosts could just pass out like that," he said, sounding frightened. "Is that even possible?"

"When we're really tired, I guess," I lied. I hated lying, but I had to protect him. Of course I wasn't going to use my time given to me to prove my worth. I was going to use every last second of the two days I had with the ones I loved, including Harry. I knew I'd have to tell him at some point, but I couldn't right now, not after his incident. It would be too painful for both of us. I was going to be banished, and I was surprisingly proud. I had gotten away with something so few ghosts had ever gotten away with. Love.

The sun had already gone down, so I sat up and pretended to yawn. "Well, I better head back. You should too."

Despite my attempts to look well, Harry still looked nervous. "Think you'll still be able to come to the movies tomorrow?" he asked as he stood up.

"Of course! I wouldn't miss it!" I exclaimed. I gave him a hug and walked away, refusing to look back at him. That hug would be one of the last hugs he ever received from me.

I entered the front door of my house to see Werewolf standing in my living room.

"What are you doing?!" I exclaimed. "How did you get in here?!"

"I have my ways," he admitted. It was odd. He didn't sound like his normal playful self. "I heard about the banishing," he spoke softly.

"You did?" I asked. "Pretty bad, huh?"

He nodded.

"You know I'm not changing my ways, right?" I reminded him.

"I figured," Werewolf replied. "You always fight for what you believe in. Anyway, I found some old dresses, and I hoped you would find one for the movies tomorrow."

"How did you know?" I asked, confused.

"Your grandmother made me spy on you, remember?"

I blushed, glancing down at my feet. I sighed, thinking how days ago had felt like years. It felt like Grannie had been gone forever and the dance had been years ago.

"How about this one?" Wolfy asked, holding up a bright green dress covered in green gems that glittered.

"No," I replied, grinning slightly. It was good to have Wolfy helping me. Together, we spent hours going through dresses until I decided on a silky light pink dress.

"That one," I decided.

Wolfy smiled, handing the dress to me. "Good luck tomorrow."

"Thank you so much for the help," I told him, guessing it would be the last time I saw him or anyone on the Monster Council.

After Wolfty left, I slipped on my dress, realizing how beautiful it made me look. That's when I realized who's dress it was. My grandmother's...who had lent it down to my mother. Where had Wolfy even gotten it? Was he going through my old house?

I began to feel a pang of loneliness for my mother. I had not seen her in years, and tonight, I decided I would with my few days left.

I walked through the front door and rushed outside, following the familiar path to the recycling center. Hiding my visibility, I slipped inside the front door, realizing the center was about to close.

My mother sat at her desk, her fingers typing away at her laptop. On her desk sat a picture of me and her. It was the same picture she'd always had on her desk. I was around eight years old, and we were both hugging each other and smiling into the camera.

"Want me to lock up?" a heavy, middle-aged woman asked. I assumed her to be one of the workers.

"No, Deena, it's all right. I'll go ahead and shut it down," my mother decided, standing from her desk.

"Suit yourself," Deena shrugged, exiting the room. As soon as she'd gone, I let myself go visible. My mother, ignorant, grabbed some papers and looked up. As soon as her gaze fell on me, she screamed. It frightened me so much, I turned invisible again, which was probably for the best.

Deena quickly ran back in, rushing to my mother's side. "What? What happened?!"

"She's back! I saw her!" My mother screeched. "It was Cecelia, my daughter! She-she was wearing my dress!"

Deena's concern quickly faded. She sighed and patted my mother on the back. "Look, I know your daughter died three years ago, but I thought your visions stopped three years ago."

"So did I," my mother replied quietly. "It just seemed so life-like."

"It's tough to lose a loved one," Deena admitted. "Go ahead and get home. I'll shut down tonight."

I sighed, exiting the building with my mother. The whole event had not gone well at all. I hoped my mother would be thrilled to see me, but she only thought of me as a vision. I sighed as I made my way home, knowing I'd have to tell my mother everything at some point.