A/N: Updates have changed now to every Monday due to the fact I'm mostly away during weekends and I can't always update on that day. So from now on, expect a new chapter on those days.

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When I get home it's already late because I've been wandering around town. I haven't done anything productive or seen anyone at all. To be honest, I don't even remember what I've been doing all day since I left James, I'm not aware of the track of time, I just know it's late because Mum is on the sofa, sleeping. Luna greets me with a soft meow, rubs herself against my legs and then goes back on top of Mum and then back to sleep.

I kneel by Mum's side, trying to curl next to her kind of like Luna is doing, but I'm too big. Mum is sleeping peacefully, her breathing's even and slow and I try to imitate her. I close my eyes and I just stay like that for a while, sleeping with Mum but of course, I can't actually lose consciousness.

I don't know if I lose consciousness every once in a while. Maybe I do, considering all those lapses of time I can't recall. Maybe it's because I just- disappear. Maybe it's not that I can't remember, maybe it's just that there's nothing to remember.

"Mum, why am I stuck here?" I mumble, with my eyes still closed. "Why am I so alone? I just want to reach to someone and understand a bit, you know? If I'm going to stay like this forever, I want to at least understand what this is."

Mum doesn't say anything, of course she doesn't, not only because she can't ever hear me but because she's sleeping and I won't wake her up.

"I really feel bad now for annoying James all this time. At first I didn't think he could actually hear me and was willingly ignoring me. If I had known I don't think it would've ended like this," I muse, trying to picture the situation in my mind.

It would've ended sooner, I realise. It doesn't seem he likes people at all, alive or dead, and especially dead. He would've barked at me to leave him alone the first day if I had approached him telling him I'm dead. True, I wouldn't have annoyed him for two weeks. But he wouldn't have been more willing to be my friend than he is today, because he is completely against befriending the ghost girl.

"Well, at least I apologised. I guess that being dead made me more inept to dealing with people, don't you think, Mum? I guess there's no way to find out why I'm still here and how to tell you to be okay because I'm fine. I mean, not counting today and how I suddenly I felt again like when I was alive, I'm pretty good. No one bullies me anymore."

Positive, be positive, was something I always told myself, hoping to believe it.

It turns out that when you're being constantly attacked it makes it hard for you to be positive or to ignore people. Adults and others will tell you: ignore them, they just want a reaction. I guess that indeed that is the real solution, but ignoring them requires a certain degree of strength and the problem is that the constant bullying drains said strength away.

But now that I'm dead and I don't have people constantly hating on me I can actually have a more positive attitude. To be honest, it's the only way to carry on otherwise I don't know what I would do. It's not like I can actually leave and look for a better future because there's no future for me. I will never get a job or even go to uni. I'll be forever stuck at seventeen in this town.

So... if James will not talk to me and won't help me out, then I'll just have to continue the way I was until now. I did quite well, for someone who's dead and completely alone, in this world but not allowed to be part of it.

"I'm sorry, Mum. I really wanted to try to talk to you, at least once." I sigh and open my eyes to see her still sleeping peacefully. "As a ghost I should be able to get inside your dreams. I would always give you happy dreams, Mum."

She smiles in her sleep and I don't think it's because she can feel me next to her or anything. If she felt me that would probably make her feel sad. I have that hunch. But I do think she's having a good dream. Maybe a memory of when we were a happy family.

"You should smile more, Mum," I say next. I then stand up and go for a blanket to cover her up. I can't carry her to her room but I can at least make sure she won't catch a cold tonight.

Luna follows me to my room where I stay until the next day. When I got down and before I do the whole pretence of running late, I do take a look at Mum in the kitchen, preparing her breakfast. She's humming this morning, very softly and along to the song in the commercial, but humming, nonetheless. She looks a bit better, a bit more alive.

Sometimes I wonder who's the real ghost, my mum or I. She normally looks more like one than I do, as in the typical ghost we expect to see in films: pale and with hollow eyes. I look quite alive, if I say so myself. At first I didn't even know I was dead. I don't remember much of that time, I just remember the shock of realising people couldn't actually see me or hear me and I was all alone. Especially when I got home and found Mum crying and crying and Dad trying to comfort her.

I wonder if the person who started with the whole creepy ghost idea actually saw a ghost. Who was that person, by the way? I should maybe pay him a visit. Or her. I don't know.

When I arrive to college I leave behind all my internal rambling and I decide to cheer myself up. Over the night I decided that I'll pretend James is just like the others. He can't see me or hear me and he never rejected me like that. However, I won't talk to him because he doesn't like any being near him and even if I'm dead, I'm still some entity and that also bugs him so I'll leave him alone. He won't talk to me or even look at me so it won't be difficult to forget he's different from the rest for some weird and unknown reason-my crazy theory is that he is a werewolf but I won't go spreading rumours-, plus, I do have a horrid memory anyways. I'll surely forget him like I forget most of the people I see.

What I do to cheer me up is to be a creepy ghost. What's good in being completely invisible if I can't haunt people and make them scream bloody Mary?

On my way upstairs, I take the top book in a pile a boy is carrying, holding it up for two second and then I drop it, making the boy go completely pale and the girls next to him to scream.

"What the fuck was that? Did you see it? Oh my God!" the girl screams as the boy can't even utter a word.

I giggle to myself and hop my way up the stairs, like a real bunny. I touch some people and they normally shiver or even react and look back, but they can't ever see me standing behind and that creeps them out.

Have you ever feel like someone is breathing in your ear? Maybe it's someone like me doing that. I do breathe into people's ears, just to freak them out sometimes, even whispering things, just to see them going pale or shivering.

If I'm going to be a ghost forever, I might as well act like one, right?

By the time I'm in the printmaking studio, some students are there, James included so I stop my whole ghost behaviour and I just quietly sit as far away from him as I can. I focus on other kids and their conversations but I don't speak. I don't pretend I am part of the conversation and that they can hear my inputs and instead decide to ignore me. I just listen to them, nodding at some parts and shaking my head at others. When I'm about to get bored, Nigel walks in so that means it's time to start the class. I, of course, don't do anything, I just listen. If I decided to use the materials and create something, everyone would collectively freak out and next thing I know a priest is brought to throw holy water at me chanting the power of Christ compels you!

I can't help myself, at some point I take a look at James. I think it's just too soon for me to completely pretend he does not exist and to forget he can hear me, but I'm working on it. I just take a quick glimpse to see him working on his own art, fully concentrated and oblivious to everyone around.

I don't know if he can feel my stare or if I just have the worst timing to decide to look at him because he stops moving for a heartbeat before he turns to meet my eyes. I'm sure he's making eye contact with me and I just draw a sharp breath in surprise, frozen on my spot. He doesn't look away and his expression starts to change, to look pitiful and that makes me confirm that he is in fact looking at me.

I'm the one to look away and ignore him this time.

And I ignore him when we have Art History, too. At some point during that class I can actually feel his stare on my shoulders. I guess it's that because I have no idea how that really feels, but it's like something creeps up your back and makes you feel all weird. Like you're being watched. And I don't even have to wonder who could be because out of all people in my universe-because I don't know if there are more people like James in other parts of the world-he is the only one who's seen me since I died.

For the past weeks I've gone with James to the library to talk to him and watch him working so I guess I grew accustomed to that. I find myself at the doors of the rec building when I realise I'm heading to the library.

"Darn it," I spit, angry at myself. I just wanted to leave the room as soon as the class was dismissed. I didn't think where I was going, I just moved.

I turn around to leave and find another place to spend my time instead of going back home this early, although maybe that's the best I could do. I could spend all my time playing with Luna, petting her, making her purr and more. That is actually quite a warm plan.

But the moment I'm facing the opposite direction, someone is blocking my path.

His eyes are on me, his hoodie up, his hands shoved inside the pocket of this. "Paige," he whispers and then his eyes dart to our surroundings. Making sure no one is watching him, I presume. "Can we talk?"

I consider this for three seconds. I weigh my options in my mind. One, to accept his offer and delight myself in the opportunity to actually talk to someone. Two, to ignore him and pretend I didn't hear him like he did for two weeks. Or three, to make use of all my pride and reject him like he did.

I go for the worst of my options: I ignore him.

I try to walk past him, but he moves to block my path again. So I dart to my left and he blocks me again. And when I go back to my right he does the same and for a frustrating second I actually consider pushing him until he falls on his bum. Like kids in the playground.

"Stop that!" I shout, stomping my feet and all that. I even hold my breath, making my cheeks all puffy. "I'm trying to ignore you and you're making it hard for me. I'm not used to this! Why aren't you cooperating?!" I finally burst out, groaning for failing. "Don't smile!" I shout next when I notice the small smile that play on his lips. "Is this amusing to you? Uh? I thought you wanted me to leave you alone. I'm trying!"

"I'm glad you're not sad anymore, that's all," he says and I snort, blowing the hair that's come to my face as I throw my tantrum.

"You want me angry?" I ask, folding my arms over my chest, trying to look intimidating. I bet I'm failing.

"Not exactly, but it's better than what you looked like yesterday," adds James and that makes some of my frustration go away. His voice sounds different, concerned. "I was an arse, and I'm really sorry for the way I treated you. It's true I do not want to be your friend or help you. Believe me, I do have my reasons for that. But I don't want to make you feel miserable. I don't know how your... um, life is, but it's not my goal to make it worse. I'm sincerely apologising, Paige."

This time his words don't make me feel worse and maybe it's because I was frustrated before he apologises this time that I don't feel hopeless now like I did yesterday. My whole disposition to his apology is different and I can now see I was also unfair to him the day before. He apologised and I just made him feel more remorseful to the point he sought me out today.

If I really want to leave him alone and pretend he does not differ from the others, then I guess giving closure to this argument between us is the first step. If I don't hold grudges, then I can move on.

"It's okay," I tell him. "I'm sorry I didn't accept your apology yesterday. I just... I was fighting ghosts of my own, pun intended."

He laughs, he really laughs and my eyes widen in surprise. His whole face lights up when he laughs and his eyes kind of sparkle, becoming bluer and I'm just awestruck.

"Can we leave this behind then?" he asks and I just nod, even smiling to him.

"It's behind," I agree and I hold up my hand for him to shake.

He looks at my hand but does nothing. When his eyes meet mine again I know he's sorry for what he's going to say. "I'm sorry but... I really don't like touching ghosts. It's too uncomfortable."

I ball my hand and I try to take it back in the less awkward way possible, but it doesn't work. "I get it. And well... I'm leaving then. Be well, James. And don't worry, I will keep my word and I won't follow you anymore. I'll stay away."

"Okay, I guess. So... then... bye, Paige."

I give him a quick nod and finally walk past him and away from the building, away from him, the only person who can actually hear me and see me. Away from my last conversation with someone. Everything is solved and settled, no more bad blood between us but why do I feel so miserable?

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I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'm so happy Unseen is doing so well! Thank you for commenting and voting and sharing with your friends. It means the world to me.

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