Ghosted (Trick or Treat Monsters)

Chapter Two

“Deaths a Bitch”

Casper

Being dead was a lot more complicated than I thought it would be.

For one thing, there’s a lot of waiting around. I didn’t realize how much time I’d spend just…floating—Literally. And while you might think that being able to pass through walls and soar over hills would be fun, it gets old pretty fast. Plus, since no one notices you anymore, it’s pretty lonely just hanging around and never being seen. Being a ghost definitely gives a person plenty of time to think things over, I’ll say that much. But mostly it just gives you time to feel…stuck.

I was trapped between life and death. Neither here nor there. And the only person who could help me was the one person I never meant to hurt.

Tabitha Graves…

Seeing her again had knocked the wind out of me—if I even had wind left to knock out. She looked as beautiful as I remembered: her big brown eyes and soft, Cupid’s bow lips, and those curves that sent jolts of electricity through whatever was left of me just the way they had when we’d first met. That messy, frizzy hair she was always so self-conscious about? I loved it. It framed her face in a way that made her look effortlessly sexy, even when she wasn’t trying.

But the look on her face when she saw me again? That hurt.

I didn’t blame her. How could I? From her perspective, I’d just disappeared after what was, hands down, one of the best nights of my life—and hopefully hers, too. I wasn’t an idiot. I knew we had something real, something magical that you don’t find every day. That night with her had been electric, every touch, every kiss, every breath we shared felt like it had been building to that moment.

But then I died.

I didn’t see it coming. Hell, no one ever does. One minute I was alive—thinking about how much I wanted to text Tabitha and ask her when I could see her again—and the next minute, I was…gone.

Now here I was—A spook in her apartment, freaking her out, trying to explain how I needed her help to come back from the dead. Yeah, I wouldn’t believe me either.

I floated a little closer to the kitchen, where Tabitha stood gripping the edge of the counter, staring into a glass of water like it held the answers to all of life’s questions. She was trying to process it all, and I couldn’t blame her. I didn’t want to push her, but time was running out.

I needed her. And that wasn’t just because she was my only shot at coming back—it was because she was the only person I truly felt connected to. I didn’t expect that when we first met, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I’d been drawn to her from the beginning. It wasn’t just her sharp wit or the way she saw the world through the lens of both history and modern practicality. It was something deeper. I just never got the chance to figure out what it was before everything went to hell.

Or, you know—Purgatory. Or whatever this was.

I hovered near the ceiling, waiting, giving her space. She was still trying to wrap her head around what I’d told her—that I needed her help to come back, and we only had until Halloween to figure it out. Less than a week. She didn’t understand how serious the timing was yet.

The truth was, I didn’t understand it either. I had no idea why this had happened to me or how I could come back. I just knew I wanted her by my side. There was something about Tabitha—something special—that told me she was my only chance. But how was I supposed to convince her of that when she was still reeling from the fact that I’d almost scared her to death when I’d reappeared after disappearing without a trace?

I drifted lower, closer to the floor, watching her pace the small galley kitchen. Her delicate hands were shaking, and I hated that I was the reason for it.

“Tabitha,” I said quietly, trying not to startle her. “I know this is a lot. I don’t expect you to understand it all right now.”

She stopped pacing and looked at me, her eyes narrowing. “What in the world do you expect me to do then?”

She had a point. I didn’t have the faintest clue as to a plan. But I had to come up with one—and fast.

“I don’t know,” I admitted, floating closer to her, hoping she wouldn’t take off running.

She shook her head, her expression a mix of frustration and disbelief. “Should I Google ancient resurrection spells? Make some sort of witches’ brew with fermented frog legs? I don’t believe in this stuff, Casper. Ghosts, magic, curses—it’s all just…fiction. You’re asking the wrong person.”

I lowered myself until I was just a few feet from her. I wished I could reach out, touch her, hold her like I had that night, but that was impossible now. “You might not believe in it, but Sweetberry Hollow? It’s full of things like this. And it’s all real, but I think you already know that. Somewhere deep down, you’ve always known.”

Tabitha bit her lip, her gaze dropping to the floor. She didn’t want to believe it. That much was obvious. Sweetberry Hollow wasn’t like other places. It had its own energy, its own…secrets. If anyone could help me, it was someone like her—someone who had lived here long enough to know how strange things could be.

Finally, she looked back up at me, her brown eyes filled with a mix of emotions—confusion, anger, sadness, and gave the merest hint of a nod. “Where do we begin?” She asked softly.

I exhaled with relief. “I need your help to find the person who did this to me.”

Her smooth ivory brow furrowed, confusion taking over again. “The person who killed you?”

I nodded. “Yeah. And that’s the part I didn’t get to explain yet.”

Tabitha folded her arms across her chest, leaning against the counter, her posture defensive. “Well, now’s the time. Who murdered you and did they have a good motive?”

I swallowed hard, knowing that this was going to sound crazy. But then again, I was already dead and talking to her from beyond the grave, so I guess we were past the point of worrying about crazy.

“You remember that girl I mentioned on our second date?” I asked, my voice quiet, almost hesitant. “The one I used to date, Morticia?”

Tabitha raised an eyebrow, her lips tightening into a thin line. “Yeah. I remember. The one you said you weren’t really into anymore.”

“Right. Well, turns out she’s a witch. And not just the weird, crystal-collecting kind. The actual, wicked kind.”

Tabitha stared at me, clearly not buying it. “A wicked witch? Are you kidding me?”

I shook my head. “Believe me, I wish I was. Apparently, she didn’t take it too well when I…um…ghosted her. She cursed me, Tabitha. She killed me.”

Tabitha’s expression shifted from disbelief to something colder, harder. “I see. You did the same thing to her that you did to me. And now you want me to fix it?”

“That’s not what happened,” I said quickly, hoping she would hear the sincerity in my voice. “I thought if I just put some distance between Morticia and me, she’d get the message and back off. Okay, so maybe I might have a fear of confrontation. But she got angry. Really angry. She came after me. I didn’t know she was a witch, and I sure as hell didn’t know she could curse me and take my life away. But now I’m stuck here, and we have to find her.”

Tabitha’s expression didn’t soften. If anything, it hardened. “Why me, Casper? What makes you think I would be remotely inclined to help you with this situation?”

I hesitated, not usually being so transparent with my feelings. But at this point, I kind of had no choice but to wear my heart on my sleeve. “There’s something about you, Tabitha. Something…special. We have a connection. I felt it the moment we met. You’re different. You might not believe in this stuff, but Sweetberry Hollow does. This town has its own magic, and whether you know it or not, I suspect you’re connected to it somehow.”

Tabitha’s eyes widened, her lips parting slightly. “Connected to it? You think I have some kind of magic power or something? I don’t even believe in this stuff.”

“I know you don’t,” I said gently. “But I do. I don’t know what I believed before, but things have obviously changed. All I know that whatever magic is in this town, I think it runs through you, too. Whether you want to accept it or not.”

She let out a frustrated sigh, turning around and putting her glass in the sink with a clink. “This is insane, Casper.”

I saw her shoulders drop slightly as she stood there, as if the tension was easing just a little. I hoped that meant I was getting through to her.

Finally, she turned, her brown eyes meeting mine again, filled with uncertainty. “Okay. I’ll help you. But if you’re lying to me, Casper…I swear I’ll find a way to kill you off for good.”

I couldn’t help but smile at that. Even in the middle of all this chaos, Tabitha was still Tabitha. Fierce. Strong. Beautiful.

“I wouldn’t expect anything less,” I said softly. “Whatever happens, I’m going to protect you. And when I come back to life, I’ll prove to you that I meant everything I’ve said about how I feel about you—about us.”

She offered me a shaky smile. “I’m going hold you to that. I don’t think I can handle any more tricks after Halloween.”

My heart swelled and I nodded. “Good.”

I just hoped I’d be alive when Halloween came to treat Tabitha to a sweet new beginning.