A sigh. That’s all Yoselyn could do as she stepped out of the bus. Her mind flowed with nothing but images of Jack, his smile, his soft, jet-black hair. Not even the heavy rain could disturb her. “Thank you,” said she as the bus’s doors closed once she started pacing off towards her home. “I wonder if he’s already home,” she thought to herself as she caught a glimpse of Jack’s house across the street. Her phone started to ring. She held her flap backpack on her shoulder as she reached inside with her hand. 

She pulled out her cellphone, wondering why her mother was calling. “Should I answer?” She clicked on the green button and answered her mother’s call, “Hello?” Her mother answered on the other end.

“Yoselyn?”

“Yes, mother?”

“Can you explain to me who the so-called Jack is?”

“Pardon?”

“I just found your diary while I was cleaning and-”

“And you went through it!”

“Yes. Because I have the right to know what’s going on around my children.”

“Even so, it gives you no right to go through my stuff.”

“I- I cannot believe you’re talking to your own mother like that.”

“Mom? Are you seriously crying?”

“Does it even matter to you, Yoselyn? I am your mother and I deserve nothing more than respect from you.”

As her mother kept on rambling, Yoselyn rolled her eyes and hung up on the call. She threw the phone inside the backpack and resumed walking, “She better not have gone through the whole thing.” She examined the ground as her legs picked up momentum. Her socks, wet as she stomped on the fresh puddles of water. Suddenly, someone crashed into her as she was about to cross the street. As she stumbled back onto the ground, Jack’s voice rang in, “Oh sh*t! I am so sorry! I didn’t mean to crash into you.”

Yoselyn looked up at him, “Jack, are you okay?” His eyes were swollen. Despite the rainfall, she was able to tell that he was tearing up. “I’m fine. Come here.” He picked her up from the ground. Her clothing stuck onto her like a magnet. “Ugh, gross, I’m all wet now.” Jack covered his face. He breathed in heavily, almost in a stifle. She held him by the shoulders, “I’m not blaming you, Jack. Don’t feel bad.” Jack shook his head, “It’s not that.” She looked around, as he paced behind her and then in front again as if trying to hide from something.

“Jack?” He uncovered his face, although keeping his eyes shut. He whispered to himself, “It’s just a dream, it’s just a dream, it’s just a dream.” Yoselyn frowned, “Did you take something at school? You’re starting to scare me.” Jack opened his eyes, letting out a loud scream. She jumped, “What are you-” He began to run away once again, towards his house, waving his arms back, as if something were following him. Dumbfounded, she called out to him, “Jack!”

Jack arrived home, closing the door shut. “What the hell were those things?!” He let his body drop to the floor as he leaned on the door.  He heard noises coming in from the kitchen. He was baffled, “I thought mom was at work. Dad doesn’t arrive till an hour from now. And Kandy slept over at Joaquin’s…” He peeked through the door frame to see an empty kitchen. He retracted immediately and covered his face, “No. No. No. No.” As he stood up from the floor, the bodiless puppy floated in through the door. 

Jack bent down to avoid physical contact with the transparent canine. The ghost floated inside the living area and turned to face him. It barked at him. “Leave me alone!” Jack then noticed the headless body, presumably belonging to the puppy, entering the house as well. He stiffened, being grossed out by the scene. “A bodiless head and a headless body,” Jack kneeled, “How did you die?” The puppy whimpered. Jack rubbed his face, “This is impossible. How am I able to see you? I knew something was up. Can you connect your head to your body?”

The puppy understood, doing as told. Jack smiled nervously, “Wow. Okay, like that, you’re not that scary.” He shivered, realizing that he was speaking to a dog’s spirit. “Wait, I need you to move something for me while I record. People won’t believe this story unless I have proof! I was able to see you, and then all those spirits in the street, as if they were regular people.” He turned around to find his handheld gaming console to record the spirit that was now following him around the house. 

He opened the door to his room to find a child around the age of eleven, sitting above his clothing rack. “What the hell?!”  He closed the door in response to his reflexes. “This can’t be happening!” Jack stood out in the kitchen. “You can see me?” He heard the voices come in from within his bedroom. Jack shook his head, remembering the voices he heard the day he had moved in, “Yeah. Who are you?” The doorknob started to turn. Jack let it go. The door opened to reveal the child inside his room, holding his tears back, if spirits could even cry. 

The child ran up to Jack and hugged him, or so he tried. He ran past Jack and floated right through his abdomen. Jack twirled around to see the boy on the ground. He gulped. “Uh. What’s your name?” The boy stood up. He floated up and sat down on the dining table. “Mitch. Mitch Darwell.” He looked down at the puppy, hiding behind Jack’s feet, “I can see you’ve met Pup.” Jack looked down, “So his name is Pup?” Mitch shrugged, “I don’t know. He arrived with you when you moved in. I decided to name him so, but he doesn’t like me.”

Jack kneeled to try and pet Pup, but to no avail, “Maybe because you’re a spirit. On my way here, he seemed afraid of every spirit we encountered.” Mitch hovered back up from the table, “So what you’re telling me is that you can see all of us?” Jack frowned, “What do you mean with ‘all of us’?” Mitch covered his mouth, “You have the ability to see us. That’s why you’re able to talk to me, to see Pup. You saw every life that’s been lost out in this street haven’t you?”

Jack’s eyes widened, “That was a soul, of every person that’s died in just this street? That’s horrible. I encountered over thirty of them!” Mitch sighed, “You’re not the first.” Jack frowned not knowing what he meant. “I didn’t have this ability before if that’s what you mean.” Mitch shook his head, “Oh, I know. You were only able to hear me. I claimed to be able to see you once and you proceeded to throw a cable at me. But what I meant, is that when I lived, I also had that ability. The ability of mediumship. I was born with it.”

Jack rubbed his face, trying to figure out what was happening. “There must be some kind of mistake! I wasn’t born with it. It came to me out of nowhere!” Mitch laughed holding his stomach as he did, “Touche.” Jack held his nasal bridge with his index finger and his thumb. He paced back and forth. Pup’s head was unattached from its body and followed him. He heard Yoselyn’s voice come in, “Who were you talking to?”

Jack looked up to see her standing at the doorway. She pointed back with her thumb, “I was knocking, but seeing you here in the kitchen from the street and getting no response worried me. Especially with what happened earlier.” Jack squinted, as her spiritual aura started to glow around her. “Green,” he whispered. She walked in, admiring the vintage furniture his family owned. She looked into the kitchen, “Were you talking to yourself?” Jack scoffed, “Yeah, totally.”

“Oh, hello.” Jack smiled at him. Yoselyn turned to face him, “Hi! I don’t think we’ve met. My name’s Yoselyn. Nice to meet you.” She stood up as Matias walked into the kitchen, to greet him with a handshake. “Nice to meet you. Jack, your mother left earlier today?” Jack shrugged, “Yeah I think she mentioned she was going to do so since last week.” He held his hips, “Mkay. Do you guys want to go out for food?” Yoselyn held her hand up to her chest, “Oh no, thanks. My mother is probably expecting me to go home by now. I just came by to check up on Jack.”

Matias frowned, “On Jack?” Jack shushed her, “Uh, yeah. On my way here I crashed into her. We ended up falling and well she came to check up on me.” He lifted his eyebrows as he listened to his story, “Mhmm.” Yoselyn hesitated as she grabbed her backpack from the dining table, “Well, I will see you around Jack. Be safe.” She hurried out the door, asking herself what she had done. Once the door closed, Jack took a seat on the chair again. Matias stared at him, “I’m glad to see you have friends coming over.”

Jack jumped back up from his seat and ran to his bedroom, “Dad! I am so sorry, but I will have to leave you. I forgot I had to go over to a friend's house to help him with some homework we got.” Matias nodded, “Okay. I’ll drop you off. Just tell me where.” Jack closed the door to his bedroom. Pup sat down on his bed, wagging his tail. Jack face-palmed, “I had forgotten about you too for a moment.” 

Jack closed the door behind him. Matias waved goodbye as Jack opened the gate to Alejandro’s house. The yellow townhouse seemed a lot brighter and happier than Jack’s old and scary-looking house. He walked up to the door and pushed in the doorbell to ring. Pup sat down, waiting beside Jack’s feet. Alejandro walked out on cue, “Hey! I thought you weren’t going to come anymore because of the rain.” Jack held his forehead. “Why didn’t I just use that excuse?” He was taken inside to the large house followed by the spirit. “Are you alone?” Alejandro ran inside, “No. I’m with my oldest brother, Gio.” 

Giovanni walked down from the second floor. “Speaking of the devil,” Alejandro ran towards him and tried to tackle him. Jack scanned the house, “Are we even going to do homework?” Giovanni smacked Jack’s head, “Is that what he said?” Alejandro forced him away, “We are going to do homework, Gio. Now stop bothering him.” Giovanni strolled towards the kitchen and wandered towards the refrigerator. 

Alejandro dragged Jack by the collar of his shirt and into the parlor. He connected the desktop computer to the outlet below the desk. “Ale, come ’ere!” Alejandro peered to the back part of the house, where Giovanni was putting a shirt on, “What?” Jack took a seat in one of the living stools, waiting for further instructions. “Let’s go to the store, there’s nothing to eat.” Alejandro hastened off to the second floor. Giovanni stepped out to the parlor where he stared down at Jack. “Told you he made you waste your time. Go home.” 

Alejandro ran down, “I’m ready. Let’s go.” Jack stood up, “Okay, I guess I’ll leave.” Alejandro scowled at him, “No! I already set up the computer for you!” He fixed his composure and cleared his throat, “Meantime fill out your electronic syllabus for Biology. I’ll be right back.” Jack took a seat in front of the computer, “Okay. I’ll wait for you right here.” Alejandro and Giovanni walked out of the house and left him alone. Jack waited a few moments before clicking on the monitor’s on/off switch. As the screen turned on, a figure walked out from the door that led to the guest bedroom. 

From Jack’s peripheral vision, he could see the humanoid figure get closer and closer to him. Surprisingly, it knelt to where Pup was sitting. Jack’s pupils moved from side to side, contemplating whether or not to turn, “In 3... 2... 1.”