After many lifetimes of observation, humankind seemed like a cruel and yet special race to Seth. After all, he not only knew from watching them, but because he was once human himself.

Every bone in his body begged to return to such days, but unfortunately that would never be possible for him. His life was over a long time ago. The only thing left for him to do was move on to the next life, but not even that happened for him yet.

In the entirety of his ghost years, not a single person ever ran into his ghostly form. Just who was this girl to make her so different from everyone else?

She was ordinary, living an ordinary life. She was beautiful... young, healthy. Nothing indicated that she should be able to see supernatural beings. He thought about theories to the point his mind ached from trying to recall information.

The world on the edge of the Canadian and New York border was endlessly quiet. He stood on the bridge watching the Niagara Falls pour into the river below. People would occasionally walk through him as time passed.

Sometimes he feared he would vanish and never reappear, being stuck in an endless void for all eternity.

His palm brushed against the railing, feeling the wood peel beneath his finger tips from age. The word 'old' seemed extremely misused to him considering he lived a little over five hundred years.

The view from this height brought him a tremendous amount of peace. The rivers, valleys, and lakes stretched just beyond the horizon, seeming to go on forever. He sighed, taking a deep breath of the cool salty air to calm his thoughts.

After a certain point in a ghost's lifespan they were able to rest in peace, yet why was he still around? Why was his life so different from the other ghosts? He needed a purpose, a reason for his ceaseless existence.

He vanished, returning to the place where it all started. He stood in front of the tall, broad tree at the school where he'd met the girl who could see him. This place had so many defining moments from his previous life. It was almost like a part of him still lived here, under this very tree.

Today was a Saturday. He would not be seeing the girl here today, but this time he did not come to find her.

There was once a small town that existed where this school now lies. The only traces left behind was this tree. So many haunting and yet joyful memories passed through him as he began to recall his previous life.

Happiness, love... loss. He'd experienced everything in this town that no longer existed.

A familiar voice helped him break away from his drowning thoughts.

"Hello, old friend." The voice said a bit sadly.

Seth continued to stare at the tree, already knowing who stood behind him. "Hello, Charlie." He finally said. The name felt painful coming from his lips.

The man sighed like the fate of the world just fell onto his shoulders. "Bruh, you look like crap. Where have you been hiding? How are you??"

Seth smiled bitterly. Hearing his friend describe how he felt made his reality all the more real. "Why are you here?"

"Why am I here?" Charlie repeated heatedly. He laughed humorlessly like he couldn't believe what he'd just heard. "Why are you here?! I've scoured this whole bloody planet looking for you! You've been gone for five hundred years... and from all bloody places to show up, you reappear here?" He paused, appearing to calm down. "This is where I least expected to find you. After everything this place has done to you, why did you come back?"

Seth's emotions were tangled in a web of guilt. How could he explain his actions now? For a sliver of a second he debated telling his only friend the truth about what really happened, but the price from hearing the truth was a burden he couldn't bear. "I'm sorry." He managed to say quietly, unable to meet his friend's expecting gaze. Seth truly meant every word and spoke from his heart. If keeping the truth meant his friend would be safe then he'd do it again a thousand times over and accept these feelings of guilt.

Charlie may never trust him again, however, in contrast and in reality his friend was merely quiet and then sighed aggravatedly. "Okay, but no more running away. No more hiding your problems. They are our problems, you got that?"

Seth was deeply moved. Relief washed over him along with familiarity and sadness... He turned to his friend, realizing just how much he missed him. To face his problems with someone by his side again... He decided he spent enough time alone. "Thank you." He said earnestly.

Charlie looked the same as he did five hundred years ago. His choppy blond hair was swept to the side, his blue eyes glistening with energy, and of course since he was a ghost too, his outfit hadn't changed a bit either. He wore a blue hoodie pulled over a pair of worn jeans, but his shoes still looked brand new. "Alright, enough of this mushy crap." He said, shaking his head. "Let's get to real business like the reason you came back here of all places? Obviously it wasn't for the fun of it."

Seth took a seat under the tree, and sighed at the invisible weight of his problems crushing him. "I came here to clear my head."

Charlie raised an eyebrow. "Did you now?" He sat beside Seth. The tree trunk was wide enough for both of them to lean against comfortably. "I think we both know there's more to the story than that." He encouraged him to continue.

"I needed answers. A reason why I'm still here."

Charlie's expression softened. "And did you find one?"

"That's what I don't understand." He admitted. "I'm starting to believe that I have. I met someone who can see me. A girl that goes to this school."

Charlie stood up in surprise, his eyes widening from shock. "Actually... now it all makes sense."

"What does?" He asked a bit breathlessly. He wasn't expecting his friend's sudden reaction.

His friend closed his eyes and began to explain. "Something happened a couple months ago. Something snapped. I wasn't sure what brought about these events, but now I'm wondering."

Seth watched him closely. A surge of anxiety rushed through his nerves.

"Vampires and werewolves... they're all going rogue, fleeing their packs and creating their own to kill the humans, ignoring the moral codes that have existed to keep the world at peace. Every time they take a life, their influence grows stronger, along with their power. It's to find this girl. They have to be looking for her. No one has ever been able to see us, except those born with supernatural powers."

Seth gave his friend a wistful expression. "What does that have to do with her though? Vampires and werewolves have been going rogue for eons."

"Yes, but this time things are different." Charlie tried to explain. "Their methods have become sloppy. They've stopped covering their tracks like nothing is holding them back anymore." He sat back on the ground, giving Seth a worried look. "Also, what really has me coming to this conclusion is the rumors about someone who can destroy the veil. If that veil is destroyed, the world will fall into complete chaos, being swarmed with the undead souls amongst the living." His gaze dropped to the ground. "Everything will be destroyed. Our two worlds were never meant to co-exist."

"She could be a witch." Seth offered, trying to calm his friend. Witches were a rarity among humans. They were gifted with the sight from birth, but most of their kind died in the witch trials a long time ago. Truthfully, he wasn't calm in the slightest about the situation either. To think he would live long enough to see the end of the world was terrifying.

"Find out." Charlie said sharply. "We need answers fast. It's time to visit that girl of yours again."

He recalled her reaction the night they met and how frightened she seemed. "Truthfully, I don't think she knows anything." Whether or not she believed in the supernatural was not the same thing as already knowing of their existence. Seth snapped away from his thoughts at Charlie leaving. He raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Where are you going?" He inquired.

For a moment, Charlie seemed like he wasn't expecting such a question. "Nevermind where I'm going." He said dismissively. "If you're right and she really doesn't know anything then she's in a lot of danger."

Basically, Seth was back to square one, but instead of feeling discouraged he had this growing urge to find the truth. It was almost like he was meant to protect her. The purpose he was searching for... perhaps this was it.

In some way, after the loneliness he suffered, he had hoped his findings would be more purposeful and fulfilling. He pushed himself off the ground and playfully nudged Charlie on the shoulder before he left. "Be safe." He whispered.

Charlie broke into a weak grin. "When have we ever been safe about things?"

Shaking his head, he smiled at the ground recalling the good old days. A long time ago they had such hopeful dreams and memories they shared together.

And somehow against all odds, their lives were beginning again.