Lily had just gotten to the bathroom when she felt something no someone watching her, "Hello?"
How was your movie? Lily turned around to face the area where Dwayne's voice was coming from it was the doorway, "You knew I watched a movie? Did you watch it too? Oh, I liked the part were Marsha got hit in the nose!"
I wake up a bit earlier than the others usually, but I only caught the ending credits.
"Oh, do you like movies?" The little girl asked while getting her toothbrush out.
Depends on the movie. The girl nods while putting some minty toothpaste on her Powerpuff Girl toothbrush, "I like movies better at the movie theater oh and drive-ins are the best... most of them are gone now though." She tells him, and he makes an hmm sound thoughtfully.
Then as Lily was about to brush her teeth the toothbrush is suddenly snatched away from her and starts brushing the invisible air beside her.
She giggles, "That one's mine get your own!" Lily tries unsuccessfully to grab it, but it doesn't work instead the ghost beside her jokes, Clean teeth are important, and I just woke up so me first.
She jumps up and down trying to reach it and as a result, someone flips up her hoodie. There now you can hop around like a rabbit. Dwayne tells her laughing. The girl pouts before pulling back the hood to see only to find the toothbrush hovering right in front of her face.
Open up say ah, Paul says in a sing-song voice and before she can protest he's brushing her teeth or trying to since most of the toothpaste ends up missing the inside of her mouth.
"Stop it!" She cries and somehow shoves him away not realizing how much more solid he felt. Paul wiggles the toothbrush and she giggles again while telling him to give it back.
As soon as those words leave her toothpaste covered mouth the door slams open startling her and the once floating toothbrush falls landing forgotten on the bathroom tile.
Why was her grandmother in here and why was she looking around the bathroom like she'd seen a ghost... that wasn't possible after all not even Lily could see her ghostly friends.
She wanted to though.
Things had gone downhill after that, Lily was manhandled into sitting on her bed and trying not to cry as she dialed her dad's cell phone number hoping he wouldn't answer. Maybe she could hang up and tell her grandmother that he didn't answer the girl thought hopefully but as if reading her thoughts Star takes the phone from her once she finishes dialing the number.
Now all that was left to do was wait. Looking down at her feet she sniffles until her grandmother's angry voice makes her jump.
"Damn it!" Star pulls back the cellphone from her face to see that the battery sign is flashing right before it turns off. "Where's the charger?" There was only one phone in the house and it had a cord and was downstairs, so the older woman knew this would be faster.
And she needed to work fast if her granddaughter was talking to those monsters.
Lily just shrugs only to have her grandmother ask again more firmly so the little brunette points to one of her unpacked bag, so Star starts pulling out everything looking for the charger only to empty the entire bag and not find it. Before getting frustrated and dumbing out her other bag getting the same result. Turning towards her granddaughter she demands, "Tell the truth Lily, where is the charger."
The little girl looks confused, "It's in the bag." Her grandmother huffs in disbelief before pulling her off of the bed, "Come on I'm not letting you out of my sight." The little girl still feels upset but it was leaning more towards angry this time since she wasn't lying this time it really was in the bag... her grandma must've just overlooked it because she was going through it too fast.
Following at a slow pace once her arm was let go of the two end up in the hallway in front of the stairs, "Where are we going?" Star looks at the upset child before sighing, "I'm calling your dad from the phone downstairs, you should know that hiding the charger is only delaying the inevitable."
"I didn't!" The older woman doesn't believe her, "No more lying Lilian."
"It's Lily..." She's never had to tell her grandma that before only her dad... she really was just like him. The little girl had wanted to be wrong about that given how nice her grandmother had seemed at times but it seemed she really was right... her dad never listened to her either.
Ignoring the younger girl who was close to tears because of her thoughts and the situation the older woman starts to descend the staircase, "Come on." Star calls to the younger brunette from over her shoulder.
She could no longer stop it tears cascaded down her face, she didn't want to leave! So, don't. Dwayne who must have followed her from the bathroom simplified the problem. She didn't once realize that she hadn't spoken those words aloud.
But how could she stay if grandma Star called her dad and made him pick her up?
A ghostly chuckle reaches her before the words; Push her, are whispered in her ear by David who must have arrived sometime in the last few minutes.
"I don't want to," was Lily's barely audible reply. Yes, you do. Paul tells her, she was angry at being told she was lying and being made to go back home to her dad but that didn't mean she wanted her grandma to get hurt, did it?
Just push her and you'll be able to stay with us. David's words seemed less like a suggestion and more like an order. One that she felt like she should listen to more so than any other even those her mother told her, but it was wrong...
Seconds seemed like minutes, hours as the voices started to blend together and soon she could not tell one from another as they continued egging her on, they wanted her to and were telling her to shove her grandmother down the stairs.
The more they spoke the more sense it all seemed to make.
It was the best no the only way to stay here... with them.
The little brunette continued following behind her grandmother, Do it! They were halfway down the stairs now and as if possessed Lily's hands moved of their own accord finding the back of the woman in front of her. Her grandmother.
She pushed.
The action felt freeing in a way that the young girl had never expected or experienced before.
Star gave a startled scream and tumbled down the remaining stairs while Lily just watched on in slight fascination, there was a snap but what woke the girl from her trance-like state was the small pool of blood that started to gather around her head.
Lily gasps and cries out, "Grandma!" before running the rest of the way down the stairs.
Once at her grandmother's side she panics seeing the gash on her forehead, "Grandma, wake up!" Lily didn't know what to do or where to touch her, she could hurt her... even more than she already did.
Why did she push her!?
She didn't want to!
Was she dead?
Don't worry she's not dead. David's voice reassures her.
"But she's bleeding..." The small girl whispers, Yes, she is. Paul's voice sounds stranger than she's used to it was like he was longing for something, but Lily is too busy to ask about it instead she focuses on the problem at hand.
"What do I do?" Was she asking them or just plain asking the Emerson girl didn't know but Dwayne answers her anyway.
We'll help you stop the bleeding, she'll be fine in the morning.
Even though Dwayne helped the others in telling her to push her grandmother down the stairs Lily still felt like he was telling her the truth but had to ask to be sure.
"Really?" Her voice was hopeful, and the ghost soothes her fears, Yes, now go get the first aid kit underneath the bathroom sink upstairs, and a wet towel.
With that said she rushes back upstairs to do as she's told, still trusting the ghosts even after everything as they may have told her to do it but she was the one who chose to go through with it so it didn't make any sense to get mad at them when she's the one who hurt her grandmother in the first place not them.
-
Back downstairs the three ghosts look on for a moment before David bends down and touches the blood near Star's head, his hand doesn't go through it for once.
Bringing his bloody fingers up to his mouth he tastes the blood while Paul and Dwayne watch his movements like hawks, "Well can you taste it?" The blonde rocker looking vampire asks excited and hopeful and David's expression changes, "Yes..."
The other two smile and are quick to give it a taste themselves, "Wow you're right, it's even better than I remember!"
"So, it's like Max said..." Dwayne says after he has his taste.
"Yeah... too bad we can't kill her yet." Their leader looks down at the unconscious old woman, "It's too bad the fall didn't do it for us." Paul tells him, but he smirks and shakes his head, "No, I've got plans for Star and they don't involve a quick easy death."
Dwayne chuckles, "I didn't think they would, hopefully, her head injury isn't serious I'd hate to have lied to the kid." Paul just shrugs uncaring if it is, "The dog is long dead, so I don't care one way or another though I could get in the mood for some fried frogs in the future." He laughs with a toothy grin, "Yeah some nice and crispy frogs."
"Sounds like a plan but first... what do you think about having some pizza tonight?" His grin was wicked, but Paul looks at him confused, "Pizza?" Dwayne seems to get their leader's meaning though, "I think he's asking how would you like a pizza delivery guy for dinner?"
"Wicked! Though is it too much to hope for a pizza delivery girl?" Paul asks hopefully.
-
Lily finds the first aid kit after a bit of rummaging around and returns to her grandmother and the ghosts waiting for her even though she can't see them the girl knows they're still there it's almost like they aren't invisible anymore even though they still are the young brunette couldn't explain it any better than that.
"Here it is now what?" She asks leading Dwayne to direct her on how to clean the wound and then his invisible hands help with wrapping it. Afterward, she looks down to the big purple bruise on her leg which is bent at an awkward angle, "Is it broken?" That was probably where the snap she heard came from.
It'll be fine. David tells her. Lily isn't so sure and as if seeing her worry, he speaks again.
She won't be able to move around for a while but that just means you won't be sent away, that's what you wanted right?
He isn't wrong but that doesn't make it right... it's too late for that now though she tries to tell herself. Lily wants to not feel so guilty though and attempts to move her to the couch, it doesn't work. "She's too heavy... but I can't just leave her here all night..." Looking in the direction of the ghosts pleadingly makes Dwayne offer to help which in turn gets David to offer Paul's assistance and the two of them get her grandmother into bed. After Lily tucks her in being as careful as she can be around her twisted leg they all leave the room.
"Do you think she'll be really mad tomorrow?" The little girl asks fearfully.
She probably won't even remember it. Paul says to cheer her up, "...I hope so." Lily says with a glance back at the door leading to Star's bedroom.
The spot where she landed during her fall draws the girl's eyes away from the door and an uneasy feeling settles over her as she looks at the drying bloodstain. What are you thinking about? David questions her, "I don't know why I did it..."
Yes, you do... you wanted to stay. David tells her plainly but hearing that doesn't make her feel any better.
"I did... I do but I didn't want to hurt her!" Lily exclaims.
Maybe you did. Dwayne adds gently.
"What? No, I didn't!" The young brunette protested adamantly.
Then why did you push her? Paul joins in on the inquisition because that's what it felt like an interrogation.
"I don't know!" She yelled in frustration as tears once again sprung to her eyes.
I think that you do. David tells her as something that feels like a cold hand brushes the tears from her eyes.
Lily backs away from the hand, "Because... because you told me to!"
So, it's my fault? David asks in a monotone voice.
This causes the little girl to pause, "I don't know..." Her voice sounds lost but thinking about it she didn't blame him not really... she didn't have to listen, but she did.
You did what you wanted and now you feel guilty about it even when you got the results that you wanted, that doesn't make much sense now, does it?
David's words hit home because she did want to stop her grandmother so she wouldn't be sent away and pushing her down the stairs did make it so she could stay... she got what she wanted, didn't she?
Lily thinks so...
"...No, I guess not." His words made sense though her mom was always explaining things to her so this sounded reasonable.
Do you want to know what I think? Dwayne asks after a prolonged moment of silence.
Lily looks towards his voice curious, "What?"
I think you don't really care that you hurt her, Lily cuts his words off, "Yes I do!"
Let me finish. He tells her in a stern tone, she goes quiet.
You only care that the end result may have killed her and not because you didn't want that to happen but because death scares you, I'm right aren't I? You're afraid to die... maybe even just seeing it?
The girl freezes as an image of a dead baby, her brother comes to mind before she shudders and pushes the memory away forcefully.
"I... yes it's scary but... I mean... you-you're dead... aren't you?" She gathers her courage to ask, "But you're still here too, how?" She was glancing back and forth between where she heard Dwayne's voice and where she last heard David's.
Yes, in a way we are dead but also not... think of it as an in-between that we got stuck in. The quiet one explains.
"I don't understand..." She tells him making David pick the conversation back up.
Do you remember the words in the sand that day?
It takes a minute, but she nods her head, "About living forever?"
Yes. She can practically hear the smile in David's voice.
"Grandma said it's impossible... it is isn't it?" At the time she wasn't sure her grandmother was telling the truth but if you could live forever then wouldn't people know about it? So maybe her grandma was telling the truth? David's next words pull her from her thoughts.
No, it's very much possible in fact we're immortal that's why we didn't truly die.
"Really?" She was suddenly very interested and quickly forgetting her guilt revolving around hurting her grandmother.
Yes, so what do you say do you want to live forever? David asks.
Lily didn't even have to think about it her response was instant, "Of course, but how?"
It's not hard just do what we say and soon enough we'll all get what we want.
"Okay." She answers trustingly.
Good. David answers.
Now then first things first... lets order some pizza we're starving. Paul chimes in.
"Pizza?" Lily questioned curiously, "You can eat?"
We can now thanks to you, Paul says excitedly.
Lily didn't know what he meant by that but was happy to have helped her ghostly friends.
"Okay, I'll call for some pizza what kind do you want?"
Anything as long as there's no garlic. Paul answers for them.
"Alright... I think grandma's wallet is in the kitchen with the phone, so I'll go order the pizza right now!" She rushes off to the kitchen to place the order.
That night Lily ordered two large pizzas one half pepperoni and half cheese and the other a meat lovers as well as a Pepsi and some brownies too, it was more than enough for her three ghosts pals and her especially since she'd already eaten and even kinda brushed her teeth but that's okay she figured she was a growing girl and she'd just brush her teeth again afterwards.
Watching a piece of pizza disappear bite by bite was more entertaining than the tv Lily thought. It was always pretty great that she got the chance to learn more about them while they talked over brownies, all in all, her mini pizza party sleepover thing with her ghosts was a grand old time.
Most of the pizza ended up in the fridge via her ghosts buddies as she fell asleep that night on the couch completely forgetting to go back upstairs to brush her teeth like she'd planned while late-night cartoons continued to play on the television.
Once they knew she was asleep the ghost boys left the house and went to the shed where they stored their real meal, the unconscious pizza delivery boy, Paul would usually complain about wanting to feed on a woman but after so many years without he wasn't nearly as picky.
The three dragged the human who was slowly returning to consciousness to the place Lily had dubbed as the dead area and made sure to spill as much blood as possible on their graves as they fed for real for the first time in years, the screams could be heard for miles but with no neighbors around it didn't matter.
Lily slept peacefully unaware of the horrific murder taking place in her backyard.
Ignorance was truly bliss for the little girl at least tonight... tomorrow would possibly be a different story.